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Congress, ) 

[SENATE.] 

C Mis. Doc* 

2d Scssto?i . j 


1 No. 18. 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF 


THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812, 

HELD AT 

The Four-and-a-half street, Presbyterian Church , in the City of Washing¬ 
ton, on the 8th of January , 1855. 


February 20, 1855.—Ordered to lie on the table and be printed. 


PROCEEDINGS. 

In pursuance of public notice, the delegates convened in Four-and-a- 
half street Presbyterian church, in the city of Washington, D. C., on 
the 8lh of January, 1855, at eleven o’clock. 

Major George McNeir, chairman of the committee of arrangements, 
called the convention to order, and introduced the Rev. Byron Sunder¬ 
land, pastor of the church, who offered the following appropriate 
prayer : 

O thou, God of our fathers, the supreme sovereign and rightful 
ruler of the universe, in the name of Jesus Christ thy son, our only 
mediator and redeemer, we pray thee have mercy upon us. 

For his sake cast us not away from thy presence, but pardon us 
graciously and receive us freely, according to the multitude of thy 
tender compassions, for we acknowledge our transgressions and our 
sins are ever before thee. Against thee, and thee only, have we sinned 
and done evil in thy sight. 

Yet, we beseech thee, do not consume us for our iniquities, nor for¬ 
sake us in our times of need, but bestow upon us thy favor which is 
life, and thy loving kindness which is better than life, that we may 
truly repent and heartily confess our own unprofitableness, and having 
grace of thee be able henceforth to lead sober, prayerful, and godly 
lives, and, dying, leave an unimpeachable testimony to that power of 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is able to save unto the uttermost all 
who come unto God through him. 

And now also, O Lord most merciful and most mighty, the infinite 
author of the world and disposer of nations, as we are assembled this 
day in thy good providence, we would remember before thee the times 
of old, the years of the former generation. With unfeigned humility 
and sincere gratitude towards thee, we would call to mind thy dealings 
concerning this people, how in the preceding century thou didst lead 
them in a way that they knew not, and by the war of the revolution 
thou didst plant and settle the foundations of the republic. For that 
great success in the times which tried meres ;soijls, we, the children o,f 







2 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONV 


E^riolr^OF 


those men, do here from the inmost heart devoutly worship and adore 
thee. 

Glorious art thou, majesty of heaven and earth, fearful in praises, 
doing wonders ! 

Yet not alone at the epoch of the declaration and the establishment 
of the confederacy hast thou, O God, appeared for our deliverance. 
On this day—the anniversary of a deed which forty years ago was 
done by the valor of our arms, and which closed the long scene of san¬ 
guinary conflict with the mother country—on this day, proud with the 
memories of New Orleans, not more for the decisive victory than for 
the priceless peace which followed it, do we desire to record to thee 
our vows, and recognize in all that struggle which went before, thy 
preserving care. 

It is for us, also, notwithstanding those hardships and reverses, to 
reflect with grateful acknowledgements upon the times and the places 
where thy favor rested on our soldiers, and gave them triumph with a 
high hand and stretched-out arm—to recall this day the brilliant names 
of Decatur, of Perry, and of McDonough—of Miller, of Harrison, and 
of Jackson, and all their brave associates and comrades in the war— 
nay, moreover, to cherish though we speak not the many honored 
names of those who still linger among us, and are now with us, re¬ 
joicing in the fruits and in the fame of Plattsburg, of Lunday’s lane, 
of Lake Erie, of the Monumental and the Crescent cities, and of many 
consecrated spots where heroes fell, and whence, under the divine 
guidance, arose the present peace and prosperity of this republic, being 
now, and as we hope by thine appointment for future ages still to be, 
a great power among the governments of the earth. 

And now that we behold these veteran survivors among us, gathered 
in their country’s capitol from many stales and distant sections—the 
officers, the soldiers, the red men’s chieftains, and the ministers of the 
eternal cross, all varied representatives of those fearful yet famous 
days, met here upon the shores of time once more to exchange their 
greetings and fight their battles over again, met here in the ripeness of 
their age with the hoary head which they wear as a crown of honor, 
met here to witness the growing strength' and greatness of a nation 
whose childhood they rocked and guarded with their own strong arms, 
met here to deliberate on the justice and generosity of their descend¬ 
ants, and to receive, we hope, before they go hence, some earnest tes¬ 
timonial of the gratitude of their children and their countrymen—we 
pray thee, O Lord, look down upon and prosper them in the sunset as 
thou didst also in the morning of their earthly mustering. Let thy 
blessing follow them and thy care provide lor them. And when, after 
their sojourn among us, they shall be again dispersed—when, at thy 
summons, they shall resign their last commissions and be disbanded 
from all the conflicts of this world—do thou permit them to lie down 
in peace, with the untorn flag of their country waving “still high above 
them,” do thou give them each a glorious victory by the captain of our 
salvation over the last great enemy, “ and when death shall open 
eternity’s portal, may they join the grand army of spirits immortal;” 
and unto thy most holy name, the ever adorable and triune God, the 
Fiather, ‘Jl|e;Sdn, and the Jiqly Ghost, shall we ascribe all honor and 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 3 

dominion, and power and glory, forever and ever, world without end. 
Amen. 

Col. James M. Porter, of Pennsylvania, nominated Col. Joel B. 
Sutherland, as President, who being duly elected, the convention was 
permanently organized by the appointment of the following Vice Presi¬ 
dents and Secretaries: 


VICE PRESIDENTS. 

Maine. —Samuel D. Reed* 

New Hampshire. —Josiah Bartlett. 

Vermont. —H. S. Brown. 

Massachusetts. —Major Ebenezer Weman, Col. Thomas Aspinwall. 
Rhode Island. —Lieut. Thomas Brownell, U. S. N. 

Connecticut .—Gen. James B. Pralt. 

New York. —Gen. John S. Van Rensalaer, Thomas Machin, Abner 
Woodworth, Col. Samuel E. Hudson, Capt. Samuel George, (Onon¬ 
daga Chief,) Col. Harvey Baldwin. 

New Jersey. —Capt. Bickell, Nathan Buck. 

Pennsylvania. —Hon. James M. Porter, Hon. Joseph Ritner, Hon. Ner 
Middleswarth, Col. George G. Leiper, Col. L. C. Judson, Hon. An¬ 
drew Stewart, Col. Joseph W. Tate, Gen. Willis Foulk, Col, J. C. 
Lessig, Major William Emory, Col. L. Coryell, Major Win. M. Evans, 
Capt. Jacob Fisler. 

Delaware. —x411en Thomson, Benjamin H. Springer. 

Maryland. —Major George Peter, Gen. Benjamin C. Howard, Gen. 
A. H. Miltenberger, Col. Thomas Sappington, Gen. Hugh Ely, Hon. 
George Wells, Capt. George W. Ent, Dr. Jacob Baer, Capt. John A. 
Webster. 

Virginia .—Capt. Charles A. Grice, Gen. George Rust, Gen. E. C. 
Carrington, Gen. W. H. Richardson, Col. Braxton Davenport, Col. 
John F. Hamtramck, Col. James L. Rawson, Capt. Joseph Long, Col. 
John B. Earle, Col. Ramey G. Saunders, Adjutant John G- Wilson, 
Major James Garland. 

North Carolina. —William Thompson. 

Mississippi. —Col. William Barksdale, Col. William S. Barry. 
Louisiana. —Moses Mellan. 

Tennessee. —Hon. James C. Jones. 

Kentucky. —Col. Charles S. Todd, Major J. IL. Holman, Col. William 
North. 

Ohio. —Zach. Lawrence, Col. John Mcllwaine. 

Michigan. —Gen. Lewis Cass. 

Indiana. —Capt. L. Coffee, Landon Cochran. 

Illinois. —Gen. James Shields, Jacob Fouke. 

Wisconsin. —Hon. Delorma Brooks 
Iowa. —Col. Samuel Byers. 

Texas. —Benjamin McCulloch. 

District of Columbia. —Col. John S. Williams, Col. Wm. Doughty. 

SECRETARIES. 

Thurlow Weed, of New York. 

John H. Frick, Pennsylvania. 


4 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


Samuel Carmack, Maryland. 

James Laurenson, District of Columbia. 

John P. Dickinson, Virginia. 

George Keating, Maryland. 

Thomas Franklin, Maryland. 

The following is a list of the delegates: 

MAINE. 

Lieutenant Zachariah Lawrence. 

Lincoln county.—Samuel D. Reed. 

Portland.—Samuel Tyler. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

New Ipswich.—James Spaulding. 

Rockingham county.—Joseph Cilley. 

Strafford count} 7 .—Josiah Bartlett. 

VERMONT. 

North Clarendon.—H. S. Brown, Abel Willoughby, Alex. White. 

East Clarendon.—Rufus Parker. 

Wallingford.—John Wiley. 

Shrewsbury.—Benjamin T. Needham. 

Goldsboro’.—Hope Bain. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Boston.—Colonel Thomas Aspinwall, Robert Keith, E. T. Samuel 
Stinson, Andrews, William Butters, Major Ebenezer Weeman. 

Franklin county.—John Wilson, Franklin Ripley. 

Berkshire county.—James Brannan. 

RHODE ISLAND. 

Captain Thomas Brownell, United States navy, Hon. H. B. Cran¬ 
ston, Captain David Melville, Adjutant George C. Shaw, Captain 
Adam S. Coe. 

CONNECTICUT. 

General James T. Pratt, Thomas Barnum. 

NEW YORK. 

For the Stale of New York.—General John S. Van Renssalaer, 
Albany; Henry Wykoop, Catskill; Abner Woodworth, Pen Yan; 
Thomas Machin, Albany; James Bogert, Geneva; George R. Davis, 
Troy; Paymaster General Lemuel Jenkins, Colonel Theopbilus Har- 
denbrook, Brooklyn ; Major Taylor, Captain Buttre, New York city; 
Colonel Stephen Livingston, Johnstown; Ahaz Hayes, Keesville; Major 
Nathan Burton, Colonel Harvey Baldwin, Syracuse; Nicholas Smith, 
Utica; John Hoover, Ellisburgh; Colonel Hudson, Palmyra; Arad 
Joy, Ovid. 

Ontario county.—Salma Stanly. 

Rockland county.—Abram P. Stephens. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


5 


Oneida county.—Archibald Clarey. 

Ulster county.—Rev. Dr. Westbrook. 

Courtland county.—Miles Goodyear. 

Essex, Clinton, and Franklin counties.—General St. John, B. L. 
Skinner, Hon. G. A. Simmons. 

Herkimer county.—General George Petrie. 

Rochester.—Amos Knapp. 

Albany.—Hon. Thurlow Weed. 

Madison oounty.—Seth Lamb. 

Weedsport.—John C. Watkins. 

Montgomery county.—Darius Clisbe. 

Cayuga county.—Peter Douglass. 

New York city.—Horace Lane, Abraham Craig, Jonathan Knapp, 
General Abraham Verplank, David Storms, William Brown. 

Indian delegation from the Six Nations.—Senecas: John Kennedy, 
John Seneca, Jacob Shongo, Jacob Bennet, Young Chief. 

Cayugas.—Peter Wilson. 

Onondagas.—Captain Samel George, Harry Webster, Elijah Lewis. 
Oneidas.—Daniel Bread, John Beechtree, Jacob Pawlis, John 
Denny. 


NEW JERSEY. 

Burlington county.—Peter Eltonpade, David Marston, Conrad H. 
Yearly. 

Camden county.—Abel Babcock, Colonel John W. Mickle, John 
Field. 

Atlantic county.—Daniel Townsend. 

Cumberland county.—Major Nathan Buck. 

Salem county—.John Nelson. 

Gloucester county.—Alexander R. Long. 

Essex county.—Wm. Daniels, Aaron Baldwin, Chas. Grant, Jno.D. 
Hester. 

Mercer county.—Samuel Brown, Septimus Weatherby, Jas. C. Van 
Doren, Jeremiah Van Dyke. 

Monmouth county.—John A. Ferine, Daniel Christopher, Captain 
Bickell, Thomas C. Throckmorton, Robert E. Craig. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Philadelphia.—Colonel Joel B. Sutherland, Thomas McKinley, Wil¬ 
liam H. Hart, N. Bockius, Isaac Vansciver, James Hood, John Hess, 
Vincent Sleeper, Mathew Miller, sen., James Pigeon, George Bashart, 
Charles B. Reese, William H. Beatles, Tobias Beechler, John Keefe, 
J. S. Warner, Cornelius Brower, George Mahan, W. W. Dugan, Sam¬ 
uel Bechtold, N. G. Madison, Conrad Markle, Turner Morehead, John 
H. Frick, Jacob H. Fisler, L. C. Judson, William Bozarth, William M. 
Evans, Peter Weyant, Francis Hershell, Henry Billington, George Ben¬ 
ners, John Rozets, James Benners, Cornelius Stagers, George Nagel, 
John McKay, John S. Van Dyke, Francis Cooper, Hiram Ayres, 
Robert Hays, William Heiss, Commodore Charles Stewart, United 
States Navy, John Carroll, John Hutchon. John Hatfield, William Van 
Dyke, William Einwechter, Charles Reed, Patrick Sharp, Joseph Welt- 


6 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


berger, William Davis, Samuel Meredith, Daniel Farrell, John Sed- 
dinger, Benjamin Enerick, John Field, Charles V. Hagner, John H. 
Myers, Arthur H. Willis, Gowan A. Brown, Samuel Withinglon, Aaron 
Bockius, Jesse Bowers, Wm. T. Elder, Peter Burkhart, Henry Snyder, 
George Wile, Stephen Marchment, William Mullen, Daniel Kercher, 
James Gideon, John Buzzard, Henry Williams, William Canby, Thorn¬ 
ton Barnes, M. Zeigler, G. W. Weils, George Priest, Harvey Nicholas, 
William Bates, F. C. Treadwell, John Keith, Isaac F. Rand, J. H. 
Early. 

Alleghany county.—Colonel R. C. Thompson, Captain John Clarke, 
Henry Rogers, John McKee, John D. Davis, F. A. Herseley, Alexan¬ 
der Carnahan. 

Bedford county.—Major Lawrence Taliaferro, Colonel Joseph W. 
Tate. 

Berks county.—Captain John Keller, Peter Mefiert, Daniel Hewes, 
Jacob Alguier, James Norton. 

Blair county.—Captain Charles Lambert, Daniel Kramer, Samuel 
Burket, George McDonough, Major John Cooper, Charles Cannon. 

Bradford county.—Asher Huntington. 

Meadville.—Hon. John Dick, Dr. Daniel Bemus, Richard Castard. 

Delaware county.—Colonel George G. Leiper, Major Levi Reynolds, 
Jeremiah Brown, Daniel Likens, George Serville, William M. Mc- 
Glaughlin, Thomas Williams, Irail Jones, Ezekiel Loveland. 

Bucks county.—Lewis S. Coryell. 

Cumberland county.—Ex-Governor Joseph Ritner, General W. 
Foulk, General T. C. Miller, Major M. Sanaw, Jacob Fetter, William 
Alexander. John Keller, James Weakley, William Alexander, David 
Zeigler, General E. Arnor, James Gallagher, A. Piper, John Wynkoop, 
M. Holcomb, M. Longsdarf, William Linn, Andrew Frazier, Robert 
Cochran. 

Chester county.—Major John Rapp, Andrew G. Creswell, John 
Carlisle, William McKirachan, Captain C. Weighton. 

Carbon county.—Colonel John Lentz. 

Fayette county.—Honorable Andrew Stewart. 

Franklin county.—John Johnston. 

Lancaster county.—Colonel William S. Amwig, George H. Bom- 
berger, Captain S. D. Miller, James Collins, Thomas Lioyd, Henry 
Eichholtz. 

Lawrence county.—Captain Robert Imbree, Major John Forsythe, 
Major Samuel Byers, Daniel Means. 

Lancaster cit} 7 .—John A. Wessenkop, Philip Leonard. 

Lycoming county.—John Bodine. 

Lebanon county.—Zephaniah Knapp. 

Luzerne county.—Michael Rupley. 

Mifflin county.—Doctor Thomas Van Valzah, Reverend Doctor 
Woods, James Criswell, John A. Sterret. 

Montgomery county.—Doctor Jacob Dewees, James Kirkner. 

Northumberland county.—George Prince. 

Harrisbuig.—David J. Cranch, George Boyer, M. Lantz, John 
Hiseley, George J. Hiseley, George McKnight. 

Dauphin county.—Jacob Fisher, James R. Boyd, William Bostick, 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 7 

David Harris, David J. Krause, Joseph Scott, George Boyce, Michael 
Rupree, George Schott 

Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties.—Colonel James M. Porter, 
James Clyde, Jacob G. Raub, George Straub, Samuel Wilhelm, Abra¬ 
ham Miller, Richard Eldred. 

Schuylkill county.—Captain Peter Aurand, Honorable James Cooper, 
Honorable C. M. Straub, Major J. C. Lessig, Colonel D. H. Goodwin, 
John S. Boyer, Robert Ratcliff, Captain Jacob G. Frick, Henry Weldy, 
T. J. Allison, John Schieffley, C. A. Lane, John Horn, Joseph Scuyler, 
John Hipplee, sr. 

Somerset county.—John H. Frye, Daniel Fidler, J. Hoover. 

York county.—Henry Logan, Major James McConkey, David Reiser. 

Union county.—Honorable Ner Middleswarth. 

DELAWARE. 

Wilmington.—Colonel J. Simms, Allen Thompson, John Johnson, 
E. Nicholson, B. H. Springer. 

MARYLAND. 

Alleghany county.—J. Dunham, Jonathan Guest, Doctor Samuel P. 
Smith, Cumberland ; William P. Sterret, Cumberland ; Major Wdlliam 
Shaw, Boston; John Neff, Frostburgh; Colonel O. H. Steele, Cum¬ 
berland; Thomas Blair, do.; George Shuck, do.; Nathaniel Bryan, do. 
Lewis Richards, do.; John White, do.; J. Kight, do. " ’ 

Harford county.—Dr. J. K. Sappirigton, Havre de Grace; E. Lewis, 
do.; Amos Barnes, do.; M. Howlett, do.; John Donahoo, do.; George 
Keatinge, do.; S. J. Thompson, do.; Dr. Samuel Davis, do.; Hugh 
Jones, Dublin; John Wiley, John Warehan. 

Cecil county.—John C. Cameron. 

Charles county.—J. W. Smoot, Benoni Jones, David Middleton. 

Baltimore.—General Anthony Miltenberger, Thomas M. Nelson, 
Sterling Thomas, Captain J. W. Ringrose, T. S. Williams, D. Weaver, 
E. Morris, John Reynolds, R. Thomas, H. Jenkins, Daniel Meads, J. 
Durlin, W. Headrick, E. Thompson, A. M. Stanbury, L. Collins, M. 
Howard, Timothy McMabra, Jacob Shaffner, Parker Banard, George 
Ellefretts, John Robinson, Jacob Frey, A. D. Faulb, J. H. Monroe, 
Thomas Evan, J. Peeling, J. Branson, John Windebaugh, Daniel 
Wandersmith. 

Annapolis.—Thomas Franklin, Daniel Hart, George Wells, William 
McNeir, W. M. Hohne, Edward Taylor. 

Carrol count}'.—Jacob Pouder, Basil Hayden, Solomon Myerly, 
Jacob Reese, Aaron Divine, Edward Dawes. 

Frederick county.—Frederick Schley, John Montgomery, Samuel 
Cammack, Lloyd Dorsey, Jacob Baer, Jacob Faubell, Robert Boon, 
George W.Ent, A. B. Hanson, Henry Nixdorf, Jacob Marked, Thomas 
Sappington, Roderick Dorsey. 

Ellicott’^Mills.—General Hugh Ely, Anthony Smith, Benjamin Sun¬ 
derland. 

Prince George county.—Ex-Governor Samuel Sprigg, John Y. Hop¬ 
kins, H. Wall, Richard L. Jenkins. 

Washington county.—Colonel John Miller, Sharpsburg; David 


8 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


Newcomer, Hagerstown; Captain George Shyrock, do.; Frederick 
Hamrickhouse, do.; William Freaner, do.: William McCardle, do.; 
Captain D. Artz, do.; Captain James Biazs, Clear Spring; Charles 
G. Down, Williamsport; Frederick Betts, Boonsboro; Henry Blessing, 
do,; James McKay, Daniel Hauer, F. Makehouse. 

VIRGINIA. 

General E. C. Carrington, Colonel John F. Hamtramck. 

Alexandria county.—George Moore, Reuben Berry, Robert Donal- 
son, Wester Carlin. 

Albemarle county.—Chiles M. Grand, Dr. Charles Carter, James 
Wedderfield, William Wertembaker. 

Augusta county.—Nicholas C. Kenney. 

Brooke county.—Captain William Tarr, sr., Major John Miller, Ellis 
Jones, Patrick Gass. 

Clark county.—Colonel John B. Earle, James M. Hill. 

Campbell and Nelson counties-—Hon. Thomas S. Bocock. 

Fairfax coDnty.—Colonel George W. Hunter, Lloyd Jones, William 
Lyles, Colonel William Minor, William Ball, Lewis Sewall, James S. 
Scott, Daniel Crump, H. O. Lendsay. 

Fauquier county.—Abner Smith, John Taylor, James McLearen. 
Frederick county.—Solomon R. Jackson, Thomas Foster, John M. 
Magson, George Knight. Henry Guard, John V. Brown, Winchester; 
George D. Harrison, W. D. Singleton, John Griffith, Samuel Cooley, 
William Haney, William Henning, Jacob Lemby. 

Hanover county.—Dr. F. G. Taylor, Lewis Mallory. 

Hampshire county.—Colonel David Gibson, Reuben Davis, John 
Ward. 

Jefferson county.—John B. Shape, John Hyatt, William Crow, 
Samuel Strider, Branson Davenport, John Cameron, John Humphreys. 

Loudon county.—General George Rust, David Carr, French Simp¬ 
son, Edward Hammal, Timothy Taylor, Charles Taylor, William 
Smith, Samuel G. Hancock, Robert Cochran, Lewis Hunt, Samuel A. 
Jackson, James Donnell. 

Lynchburg.—Lafayette W. Gray. 

Norfolk.—William Denby, C. Hall, Webster Carlin. 

Ohio county.—John McFerran, W. B. Buchannon. 

Orange county.—Eaton Stannard. 

Page, Berkly and Morgan counties.—Hon. C. J. Faulkner. 
Portsmouth.—Captain Charles A. Grice, Captain James Jarvis, 
James Wood, Benjamin Spratley, William B. Bingley, Charles Cassell. 

Richmond.—General William H. Richardson, Colonel T.B. Bigger, 
D. Trueheart, J. H. Saunders, James Hardin, Christopher Gill. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

Wake county.—William Thompson. 

Pitt county.—John Bright. • 


KENTUCKY. 

Lexington.—General Leslie Combs, cadet in 3812, captain in 1813; 
William Long, Trotter’s troop; P. C. Nicholson, same. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


9 


Shelby ville.—Colonel Charles S. Todd, captain in 1812, aid to Gene¬ 
ral Harrison, and inspector general of northwestern army. 

Frankfort.—Major J. H. Holeman, Colonel Johnson’s regiment 1813 ; 
Geneial John M. McCalla, adjutant 5th regiment Kentucky volunteers 
battle of river Raisin. 


OHIO. 

General John McLlvain, General George Kesling, Paul S. Ridge¬ 
way, Timothy Covern, Gershom Bassett. 

INDIANA. 

John Salgers, Captain Cochrane. 

ILLINOIS. 

De Witt S. C. Brown, Hon. James Shields. 

TEXAS. 

General Benjamin McCulloch. 

IOWA. 

Major Samuel Byers. 


General Lewis Cass. 


MICHIGAN. 


WISCONSIN. 

Colonel De Lorma Brooks. 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

Colonel John S. Williams, Colonel James L. Edwards, Colonel W. 
W. Seaton, Colonel William P. Young, Major George McNeir, General 
G. W. P. Custis, Major George Peter, Captain George F. De La Roche, 
Doctor William Jones, John S. Gallaher, esq., Richard Burgess, James 
W. McCulloh, Benjamin C. Ridgate, Dr. Tobias Watkins, Colonel W. 

B. Randolph, Isaac Beers, Colonel Peter Force, General James Thomp¬ 
son, Philip Hines, George Petrie, C. R. Johnson, Isaac Holland, Wil¬ 
liam Clarke, General G. W. Briscoe, Colonel William Doughty, Sam¬ 
uel McKenney, Walter Stewart, William Dant, Reuben Berry, James 
Laurenson, G. C. Grammer, Edward Simms, Francis Lord, Jesse 
Plowman, John Allen, James A. Kennedy. 

At 12 o’clock the convention formed in procession, and proceeded 
along Pennsylvania avenue to the President’s mansion, under a milita¬ 
ry escort commanded by Colonel William Hickey, the whole under the 
direction of Colonel William P. Young, chief marshal of the day, aided 
by the following officers: 

Aids to the Chief Marshal .—General St. John B. L. Skinner, General 
Anthony Wiltenberger. 

Assistant Marshals .—General George Petre, General G. W. Briscoe, 
Major Isaac Clarke, Colonel William McNeir, Jacob Gideon, eqrs., G. 

C. Grammer, esq., C. Hall, esq., Captain Charles A. Grice, Captain 
James Jarvis, General Wiliiam H. Richardson, Colonel R. G. Saun- 
dey, Captain George F. De La Roche, William G. Ridgley, esq., 


10 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


Colonel Richard Burgess, Sterling Thomas, esq., Captain Levin Jones, 
Major C. R. Johnson, John G. Wilson, esq., William Sumner, esq., 
and James A. Williams, esq. 

The head of the column reached the White House about two o’clock, 
and, under the admirable guidance of the chief marshal and his aids, 
the old soldiers were escorted into the East Room without the slightest 
noise or confusion, marching in sections of two, and, coil-like, filling up 
the East Room compactly, yet with great regularity. As the old sol¬ 
diers filed by the President, with tottering steps yet gleaming eyes, it 
required no effort of the imagination to bring back the desperate battles 
of Chippewa, Niagara, Lundy’s Lane, and New Orleans, with all their 
attendant strife and bloodshed—the groans of the wounded, the anguish 
of the dying! A few of the survivors of those hard-fought battles were 
there, and one at least of those generals who had led them to glory and 
renown was also present—not only living in the glorious history of the 
past, but with new and greener laurels added to his brow. 

As soon as the room was filled to its utmost capacity consistent with 
comfort, and the measured tramp of feet was no longer heard, the mar¬ 
shal of the day introduced the President of the National Convention of 
the veterans of 1812 to the Chief Magistrate. 

mr. Sutherland’s speech. 

Hon. Joel B. Sutherland, of Pennsylvania, addressed the Presi¬ 
dent as follows: 

Mr. President: I feel very much delighted to have the opportunity 
to-day of presenting to your friendship and acquaintance such a vast 
body of men as are now present, all of whom were in the war of 1812— 
our glorious second war of independence. We have called to see you 
to-da}’, being yourself descended from revolutionary stock, like most of 
us, and we believed it to be our express duty to visit you on this occa¬ 
sion. But there are other reasons to which 1 may brie fly* ad vert. You 
had two brothers engaged in the same war with us; and, when we 
remember that soldierly feeling which pervades all who are here pres¬ 
ent, we feel bound to pay this tribute of respect to the President of the 
United States. But, sir, when I remember the day and the cause 
which brings us hither, I am more inclined to press this subject upon 
the consideration of our friends w T ho are present than anything else. 
Forty years ago the British, under General Packenham as their leader, 
having command of some nine thousand soldiers, marched towards the 
American lines at New Orleans. The American lines at that time 
consisted of about six thousand men, three thousand of whom had good 
arms, and the rest being indifferently supplied. Packenham, with a 
force w r ell skilled and well drilled—veterans of the English army— 
came with full confidence of defeating that little band. On their way 
there they felt certain of victory; it was beyond all doubt as to the 
result with them. Well, sir, Packenham led on his forces, and, with 
that sturdy and indomitable courage which they possessed, they came 
closer and closer upon our lines. At that time it was supposed by 
them that they were to meet with no resistance whatever; but when 
tey c a me within reach of our heavy arms the order was given to fire, 


THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OP 1812 . 


11 


and the havoc in their ranks was so terrible that they almost suffered 
the first discharge to remain unanswered. But still they determined 
that they would take the city, and they pressed forward with great de¬ 
termination until they came within range of our sharpshooters, and then 
the battle really commenced. Fos a short time they wavered, then 
they retreated, and finally went down to their camp, where they had 
left three thousand of their troops, and got on board ship. 

On looking over the battle-ground of that day there were found some 
seven hundred men shot by our rifles; and what seems very providen¬ 
tial in that whole affiair, showing that heaven must certainly have- 
been upon our side, is the fact that in that fight there were but seven 
of the Americans killed. The British and French are now attacking 
Sebastopol, and see what little headway they make. New Orleans on 
that occasion might well have been said to be the Sebastopol of our 
empire. 

So far from their being in the advance, except temporarily, the 
Americans w r ere able to drive them back. That victory I consider to 
be the clinching victory; it was the victory that told for all time to 
come. England may have the most discipline and be the most scien¬ 
tific in the military art; but we found that the soldiers who were undis¬ 
ciplined were ready to meet them with their rifles to their shoulders. 
Those who were bom in that region of country were always ready; 
they were men without any discipline except the military discipline of 
the country, and whose familiarity with their rifles was acquired in 
the chase; and still they were able to cope with the veteran troops of 
England. That battle will be remembered with pride by our citizens 
through all time. 

Sir, the|men who fought that battle, and not only they, but all the 
country, I may say, will not cease to venerate that great hero whose 
gallant deeds shed so much lustre upon his name and upon this day. 
We and our children will celebrate each recurrence of the 8th of Jan¬ 
uary as a day of rejoicing. On the last 8th of January we were as¬ 
sembled in Philadelphia, in Independence Hall. This year we find 
ourselves at the metropolis of the nation, assembled at only forty days’ 
notice in a single newspaper. From this, sir, you can judge what a 
feeling there is in relation to the last war. Iam glad to see so many 
soldiers here; and I regard it as a proof of what I have always been 
urging in their behalf. 


THE president’s SPEECH. 

The President of the United Slates replied, in substance as follows: 
I tender to you, sir, and to your associates, my greatful acknowledge¬ 
ments for the privilege of this interview, and my sincere thanks for the 
kind reference you have been pleased to make to myself and certain 
members of my family who participated with you, but are now de¬ 
ceased. It can hardly be necessary for me to say that my heart does 
not fail to respond to your appropriate allusions to that great hero who 
has given immortality to the day on whose anniversary you are assem¬ 
bled. As this numerous assemblage of veterans entered the room no 
man could have observed their countenances without being impressed 


12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

with the fact that they were the men for such a war as that of 1812 
The lines of intelligence and marked emphasis of character are unmis¬ 
takable. What a crowd of associations spring from the presence of the 
veteran commanders near me, (General Scott and Commodore Morris,) 
and from the banner in your midst^inscribed with the motto “free trade 
and sailors’ rights!” I am gratified to observe among you a delega¬ 
tion from our red brethern,* who were found faithful in the period of 
trial, and whose services are.entitled to be cherished with grateful re¬ 
membrance. Thatperiod of our history of which we are particularly 
reminded by this anniversary, and the meeting of tried men, many of 
whom have probably never met before since the close of the war, will 
ever be recurred to with peculiar interest. My earliest reading was of 
the stirring scenes in which you bore a part forty years ago, and my 
earliest reminiscences are connected with the war of 1812. I well re¬ 
collect that the approach of every mail was anticipated by my footsteps 
to the threshold of the village post office. I naturally felt the deepest 
•concern for those who had left my own home to take a part in the con¬ 
flict ; but my young heart gave out its quick sympathies to all who contri¬ 
buted to the cause personal service or sustained it at home by earnest 
and efficient encouragement. Having been taught that it.was the first 
and highest earthly duty of every citizen of the republic cheerfully to 
make any sacrifice for the maintenance of his country’s rights and 
honor, it would be difficult to express the pride and affectionate regard 
with which I looked upon such detachments of volunteers as occasion¬ 
ally stopped at my father’s mansion on their way to the northern fron¬ 
tier, many of them never to return. Time has only served to enhance 
the admiration inspired by their prompt enrollment under the flag of 
their country and their subsequent valor in defending it; and it is 
gratifying to meet here to-day this numerous delegation of the survi¬ 
vors of that noble army and gallant navy. I can readily conceive how 
many incidents, unimportant in themselves, of camp and field, deck, 
and mess room, long forgotten, have been recalled as you have met 
those with whom you parted at the close of your last campaign, and 
how the sad but glorious memories of such as were early in the war 
and foremost in the fight, years ago gathered to the fathers, come back 
to you! 

The genius of our government, the fundamental principle that large 
standing armies are not to be maintained in time of peace, a'l our in¬ 
terests as a nation and all our sentiments and opinions as individuals, 
promise peace; but if, unfortunately, again called to arms, our sense 
of security will rest chiefly in the conviction that the patriotic spirit 
which gave courage to your hearts and vigor to your arms will animate 
your sons. You, gentlemen, started in life with the fathers of the revo¬ 
lution around you. You listened to their precepts; you studied their 
career; you observed their principles of action, and you have nobly 
emulated their example. They have passed from earth, and we of a 
later generation look to the survivors of “ the second war of inde¬ 
pendence” for the exhibition of disinterested patriotism and lessons of 
wisdom to teach us how to transmit this priceless inheritance, with its 
multiplied and multiplying blessings. Although you assemble here 
from different and distant parts of the confederacy, it is cheering to 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


13 - 


know that you come animated by a common sentiment of devotion to* 
this Union, and by a common purpose faithfully to maintain all the 
constitutional rights of the people of all the States. It is a truth, as in¬ 
spiring as it is conspicuous, that those who have been ready in the hour 
ol need to put much at peril fortheir country, who have fought her battles 
in time ol war, have never been the men in peace, however broadly 
they may have differed upon measures of policy, to disseminate danger¬ 
ous political heresies ; to revile the institutions under which they live 
to catch up the echo of foreign prejudices; to excite sectional 
jealousies; to deride constitutional obligations, and to set at defiance 
the laws of the land. No, gentlemen, no ; far from it. You responded, 
I am sure, cordially to the sentiment of a gallant soldier of your time, 
and an eminent statesman of the present, whom I observed marching 
to-day as a. private in your ranks, when he said, “ If we are not struck 
byjudicial blindness, as were God’s chosen people of old, we shall 
cling to this Constitution as the mariner clings to the last plank when 
storm and tempest close around him.” I quote from memory, but ex¬ 
press the sentiment. 

Mr. President and gentlemen, I must not detain you. I wish for 
you, individually and collectively, every blessing—all that you can 
reasonably expect, and all that your country can consistently confer. 
You are realizing to-day, let me say, in the consciousness of duties well 
performed, and in the award of the respect and the gratitude of your 
countrymen which everywhere greets you, the best recompense ever 
conferred for meritorious services rendered to one’s country—a reward 
incapable of being measured by any standard of value known to trade. 
A universal commendation nobly earned and the rich inheritance of 
your example will descend to your children, and, if they are like their 
sires, will be by them prized above all that you may leave beside, 
whatever be the extent of your possessions. 

My heart, gentlemen, beats with a prouder throb on the 8th of Jan¬ 
uary than on any other day of the year, always excepting the fourth of 
July ; but I feel just now that its pulsations are freer and stronger be¬ 
cause you are here. You are not only veteran soldiers, but American 
citizens, and need no welcome to the house of which you are the pro¬ 
prietors, and I, for the time being, am but the tenant. You will permit 
me, however, to remark that the house and its occupant are alike hon¬ 
ored by your presence. May God, who has so signally blessed our 
country, preserve and ever bless its defenders! 

The place alone prevented that outburst of enthusiasm which the 
feeling and eloquent remarks of the President were so peculiarly cal¬ 
culated to call forth. As it was, he was frequently interrupted with 
applause, and at the close of his remarks three cheers, “and three 
more,” were given in his honor. Three cheers were also given for 
General Cass, three more for General Scott, and as many for “Free 
Trade and Sailors’ Rights.” At the signal from the Grand Marshal 
the various delegations formed, as well as the crowd would permit, 
into sections, and resumed their line of march, passing through the door 
at the extreme north end of the room. At this door the President 
stationed himself, in order that he might take each of the veterans by 


14 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


the hand, bid him a welcome to Washington, and wish him a “ God 
speed” on his journey home. All left delighted with their reception, 
and particularly delighted with the plain, unpretending, cordial man¬ 
ners of the chief magistrate.— Union. 

The convention then returned to the church. 

On motion, General Leslie Combs, of Kentucky, General John S. 
Van Renssalaer, of New York, Captain Ner Middleswarth, of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, General E. C. Carrington, of Virginia, Colonel De Lorma Brooks, 
of Wisconsin, General John McElvain, of Ohio, Captain Cochrane, of 
Indiana, and Major George McNeir, of the District of Columbia, were 
appointed a committee to report a suitable preamble and resolutions, 
for the adoption of the convention. 

The convention then took a recess until five ©’clock, p. m. 


AFTERNOON SESSION. 

January 8, .1853. 

The convention having reassembled in the church, General Leslie 
Combs, of Kentucky, reported from the committee the following 

PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTIONS. 

Forty years have now elapsed since General Jackson fought and won 
the last great battle of the late war with Great Britain, at New Or¬ 
leans ; and that glorious anniversary is a fitting day for the surviving 
soldiers of that war to meet and take counsel together. This city, too, 
named after the Father of our country, is a most appropriate place for 
our assemblage. The war of the revolution achieved our liberty—the 
war of 1812 secured it. While the green sod marks the graves of our 
revolutionary fathers, a few only of those who staked their lives in 
our last immortal conflict survive, to tell the tale of their sufferings 
and services—by far the greater number have passed down to their 
last homes on earth, many of them in penury and want. 

In less than forty years after the close of our revolutionary struggle, 
a grateful Congress of the United States passed a general pension law 
for the benefit of the surviving officers and soldiers, at a time when 
the treasury was empty and heavy war debts were hanging over us. 

Is it then unreasonable for us to expect that similar justice will be done 
to the survivors of the war of 1812, and the widows and children of 
those who are dead, while the public treasury is overflowing with gold, 
and we have comparatively no debts to pay ? Or is it asking too 
much, to have fair portions of the public domain, which we fought 
.and paid for, allotted to us? We think not. 

Be it therefore resolved , That a committee be appointed to memoralize 
Congress on this subject, and to urge upon our senators and represen¬ 
tatives to make to each officer, soldier, sailor and marine who served 
during the war of 1812-15, appropriate grants of land—at least 160 
acres to the lowest grade, and for the shortest time of actual service. 
The benefit of the law to extend to the widows and children of those 
who are dead. 



THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812 . 


15 


Resolved, Thai similar provision ought to be made for our red breth¬ 
ren who fought by our side and for all those confined in foreign prisons 
during any part of the war of 1812, if alive, and also to the prisoners 
in Tripoli, who were' forced to labor as slaves or felons. If dead, then 
to their widows or children. 

Resolved , That while we deeply deplore the untimely deaths of so 
many of our brethren in arms, we pledge ourselves ever to aid and 
protect their bereaved widows and orphans, and here, on this most 
interesting occasion, we extend to each other the right hand of fellow¬ 
ship, and bind ourselves by every sacred obligation to stand by each 
other while we live, in defence of all our rights, at home and abroad 

Resolved , That Congress ought to extend to the soldiers of the late 
war and their widows the same pension system adopted for those of 
the revolution, and the thanks of this convention are hereby tendered 
to those just and generous members of both Houses who have had the 
nerve already to move in this matter. 

Resolved, That in our judgment, every principle of justice requires 
that invalid pensions should commence from the time when the wounds 
were received or disabilities incurred in the service of the United 
States. 

Resolved , That our grateful acknowledgments are hereby tendered 
to the Hon. Mr. Brodhead, senator from Pennsylvania, and to the other 
senators and representatives who have cooperated with him in en¬ 
deavoring to have justice done to us; and that we also recognize our 
great obligation to the patriotic editors of the public press who have so 
ably and efficiently sustained our cause. We hope they will not be 
weary in well-doing, but spread our present proceedings through their 
columns from one end of the republic to the other. 

Resolved , That in order to obtain justice for ourselves and the widows 
and orphans of our deceased brother soldiers, it is important to have 
a complete organization in each State of the soldiers of the war of 
1812-15. 

Resolved, That when we look back to the past history of our country 
and the great results of the war of 1812, in securing the respect of 
foreign nations, in consolidating our free institutions, in increasing our 
love and veneration for the heroes and sages who established our inimi¬ 
table form of government, in proving to us the inestimable value of our 
glorious Union and priceless liberty, “now and forever, one and indi¬ 
visible,” we cannot forget our debt of gratitude to James Madison , who 
fearlessly recommended the declaration of war against Great Britain, 
or the brave men in Congress who voted for it, led on by the immortal 
Henry Clay, William Lowndes, and John C. Calhoun. 

Resolved, That inasmuch as those who performed military duty in the 
war of 1812, and their children and representatives are scattered over 
all parts of our vast territory, the Congress of the United States in 
granting our petition will entitle itself to the grateful prayers of mil¬ 
lions of human beings, now looking with anxious hopes to us and to 
them. 

Resolved , That the monument to Washington now being erected in 
this city is one alike due to his illustrious services and to the national 
honor, and ought to be finished by Congress, with all convenient speed. 


16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

Resolved, That such of the old thirteen States as have not acted in 
relation to the proposed construction of the monument to the signers of 
the Declaration of Independence, in Independence Square in Philadel¬ 
phia, be respectfully requested to take the necessary steps to carry that 
patriotic object into effect. 

Resolved , That a copy of our proceedings be forwarded to the Presi¬ 
dent of the United States, a"s well as to the President of the United 
States Senate, and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
with a request to the two latter to lay them before their respective 
Houses. 

Resolved , That each State delegation now present be appointed a 
special committee to wait upon their respective senators and repre¬ 
sentatives in Congress, and urge them to aid us in obtaining justice. 

GENERAL COOMBS’ SPEECH. 

General Coombs said: That having prepared and reported the reso¬ 
lutions just read, he asked leave to make a tew remarks in their sup¬ 
port. No other time and occasion but the present could have induced 
him to make a public address. He was sick at heart with hope 
deferred, in reference to a matter of much importance to him, which 
had been pending before Congress for seven years without final action. 
But to meet with so many boys of 1812—some of them his compan¬ 
ions in arms through bloody scenes—and to see them still vigorous and 
hopeful, although covered with gray hairs, was a gratification too great 
to be passed by in silence. He thanked heaven for their preservation 
so many years, and hoped they might still live on till justice was 
done them all. At an}^ rate they might rely on him to stand by them 
and assert their rights, for let who would faint or falter by the way- 
side, he would be found firm and faithful to the last. 

It will be remembered that the treaty of peace which closed our 
revolutionary war was signed on the 3d of September, 1783, and on 
the 18th of March, 1818, a general pension act was passed by a grate¬ 
ful Congress in favor of the surviving officers and soldiers of that 
heroic struggle. Thirty-five years and fifteen days had then only 
elapsed. The treaty at Ghent, which terminated the war of 1812, 
was signed on the 24th December, Christmas eve, 1814. Forty years 
and fifteen days have since rolled over our heads, and while most of 
those who shared our perils and privations either poured out their 
blood upon the battle field, or have long since gone down to the grave 
in consequence of those privations, and others, with blasted frames 
and ruined health, are now lingering out their last days in penury and 
want, we have been preserved to come up here to claim their rights. 
Shall we ask them in vain? Why should not we and our brethren be 
cared for as were our revolutionary fathers? Are we aliens and bas¬ 
tards that we should be turned off with neglect and scorn from the 
doors of Congress ? 

In 1818 the treasury was empty, and the heavy debts of two wars 
were hanging over us. Now it is overflowing with gold, and nothing 
due which cannot be paid at a moment’s notice. 

Then as^to the public lands. Who has a better right to them than 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


17 


we have? Nay, who will dare to try titles with us? Look at the 
history of the great northwestern wilderness, and see how it was 
redeemed from the savages and wild beasts. Did not the national 
treasur}^ pay for them? Did not our blood moisten them? Sir, the 
son of an old hunter of Kentucky has a right to speak plainly on this 
subject. His father fought with Washington at Yorktown, and then 
crossed the Alleghany mountains with his old-fashioned, revolutionary 
whig rifle, and helped Daniel Boone to whip the Indians out of that 
God-favored land called Kentucky, (field of blood.) After you, on 
this side of the mountains, were enjoying peace and prosperity, his 
father and his bold companions slept with their rifles in their arms for 
ten long years, and not until after Wayne's glorious victory at the 
Rapids, in 1779, did we have peace with the ferocious Indians on our 
northern and western frontiers. Yet, sir, to this day have these ser¬ 
vices and sufferings remained unacknowledged by any adequate re¬ 
muneration. iVnd what did we do during the war of 1812? If the 
records of the War Department shall be examined, it will be found 
that Kentucky shed more red blood than any other State in the Union. 
Look at Tippecanoe, where Daviess and Owen fell. At Mississinnawa, 
where Campbell triumphed. At Raisin, where Allen, Hart, Meade, 
Montgomery, and six hundred brave companions were killed on the 
field or subsequently massacred. Look at the two sieges of Fort 
Meigs, and Dudley’s defeat on the 5th of May, 1813, and at the glori¬ 
ous victory on the Thames, the following 5th of October. [Applause.] 

From the sanguinary defeat at the Blue Licks till the glorious triumph 
at New Orleans (whose anniversary we this day celebrate) Kentucky 
bones were left to bleach on every field of conflict. Is it not almost 
time to give some evidence of public gratitude to the silver-haired sur¬ 
vivors? Shall the widows and children of the dead appeal in vain to 
Congress for small portions of the great country which their husbands 
and fathers fought for? While they are unprovided for—many of them 
poor and landless—what right have strangers to come from across the 
ocean and share our heritage free of charge? What right have the 
surcharged despotisms of the Old World to throw off their scum of the 
earth on us; to empty their poor-houses and prisons upon New York, 
Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, filling them with beggars, 
pickpockets, thieves, burglars, and robbers, throwing their dead cats 
into our wells of living water? 

It is true this country is the asylum for the oppressed of other na¬ 
tions, when driven from their native homes by ruthless despotism—so 
may it ever be—but those who seek our hospitality and protection must 
submit themselves to our laws, and not attempt to govern us on our 
own soil, or take from our children their lawful inheritance. 

Why, sir, according to the doctrines of national legislation now com¬ 
inor i n fashion, while the vile wretches who desolated our seaboard dur¬ 
ing the late war stood by at Raisin and Meigs and saw unmoved my 
Kentucky brother soldiers massacred and burned, and the villians who 
fired the Capitol and threw into the streets the types and press of the 
National Intelligencer, by a simple declaration of an intention to become 
American citizens, will each of them have one hundred and sixty acres 
Mis. Doc. 18-2 



18 


PROCEEDINGS OP THE TNATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


of land, the gallant militia of New York and Vermont, who helped to 
drive back the English and their savage allies at Plattsburg, (the Sara¬ 
toga of the second war of independence,) the Maryland minute men, 
who immortalized themselves at North Point, the Pennsylvania volun¬ 
teers who aided Perry to annihilate the enemy on Lake Erie, and the 
Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky militia who fought under Jackson 
at New Orleans, would get but forty acres each, about enough for a 
garden and a grave-yard. 

He solemnly protested against all such iniquitous measures, which 
were generally the baits used by ambitious politicians to gain high 
places* What would have been the fate of the Congress of 1818, in¬ 
stead of pensioning the poor survivors of General Washington’s bare¬ 
footed soldiers, who marched across the Delaware on the ice, and 
gained those brilliant victories at Trenton and Princeton, they had 
dared to divide out our public domain among the Hessians who fought 
against us? 

Thank God, there was evidence throughout the length and breadth 
of the land of an uprising feeling in the American heart to rebuke such 
crying injustice. Stand to your arms, my boys! the old soldiers of the 
Indian wars since 1790 and those who fought in ]812 will yet get their 
rights, and so will the widows and orphans of those who have died or 
been killed. [Great applause.] 

Our red brethren, too, who fought by our side will not be neglected. 
On the Niagara frontier and in the northwest, as well as in the south, 
many of them behaved with heroic self-devotion. General Combs had 
seen them in battle, and some few had been under his command, and 
he would vouch for their fidelity and courage. 

This broad and beautiful land, with all its rivers and mountains and 
fertile plains, once belonged to them. It is ours now, leaving the red 
man scarce ground enough to bury their dead on this side of the great 
father of waters. And in the far west we are circumscribing their do¬ 
minion to the Rocky mountains and the prairies at their base. We are 
rich and they are poor; and it is our duty to stand by them and vindi¬ 
cate their rights now as they stood by us and fought for us during the 
war. He knew it would be difficult to prove up their individual claims, 
for they had no regular muster rolls, but as far as possible let it be done 
and satisfaction rendered. 

The Six Nations of New York sent forth hundreds of warriors, who 
had no constitutional scruples about crossing the Niagara river into 
Canada, many of whom fell in battle, and others returned mutilated 
for life. General Jackson was aided by portions of the Cherokee, 
Choctaw, and Chickasaw tribes in the south, and General Harrison by 
some of the Shawnees and others in the northwest. Our government 
is bound by every principle of honor and gratitude now to reward those 
services liberally. 

And what was it necessary for General C. to say of our hardy tars 
and brave marines, who have spoken in thunder tones on every ocean 
and inland sea during the late war; had won victory after victory over 
the haughty self-styled mistress of the ocean, and taught a lesson to our 


THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812. 19 

proud enemy which the rolling of a hundred years will not blot out? 
Shall any of them be neglected? Never. [Applause.] 

General Coombs then gave a rapid and graphic description of the 
great northwestern wilderness at the commencement of the war of 1812, 
and contrasted it with its present civilized and prosperous condition. 
Then Fort Mackinaw had been surprised and taken by the British 
before the garrison heard of the declaration of war. The little fort at 
Chicago had been abandoned, and the garrison waylaid and murdered 
on its march to Fort Wayne, and Wells, the Indian agent, tomahawked 
and scalped. 

Soon afterwards Hull surrendered Detroit and all Michigan Territory. 
The settlement at the Maumee Rapids was destroyed, and nothing re¬ 
mained but a few standing chimneys. With the exception of two small 
stockade forts, (Wayne and Harrison,) not an inhabitant but hostile 
Indians could be found between Lake Erie and the Mississippi river. 
The first was besieged by the enemy in a large force, and only relieved 
by General Harrison and the Kentucky volunteers under his command; 
and the latter was successfully defended by Captain Zachary Taylor 
and his feeble garrison against most fearful odds. 

He spoke of the starving condition of the left wing of the north¬ 
western army, to which he belonged, encamped below Old Fort Defiance, 
under Winchester. At one time it was five days without bread or flour, 
and living on beef so poor that it was a standing jest with the little 
Dutch butcher, when about to slaughter our daily rations, to call on 
some bystander “ to hold up dis beef till he shot him.” He described 
the horrible winter campaign of 1812-’13, terminating at Rositer in two 
bloody battles, followed by th;' massacre of the prisoners on the 22d 
and 23d of January, 1813. 

He related some thrilling incidents occurring in the spring of 1813, 
while General Harrison with a feeble garrison was besieged in Fort 
Meigs, and General Green Clay, with two regiments of Kentucky vol¬ 
unteers, was hastening on to his relief. All northwestern Ohio, beyond 
Piqua Urbanna and Columbus, was then an unbroken wilderness—ex¬ 
cept a few Indian villages—full of impassable swamps and morasses. 
Although then a beardless youth, General Coombs had become well 
acquainted with the country, and was appointed captain of spies— 
white men and Indians. While descending the Anglaize river, an ex¬ 
press arrived from Fort Meigs, urging us onward, and General Coombs 
was dispatched with four or five of his company in a canoe down the 
Maumee from Old Fort Defiance, to inform General Harrison of their 
approach, and bring back his orders if possible. He described his night 
ride down the river, some forty miles—part of the time through the 
upper rapids, in imminent danger of beingj dashed to pieces among the 
rocks; his approach to the fort next morning, while it was surrounded 
on all sides by the British and Indians; his strong emotions when 
turning the last^point on the river, he first came in sight of the British 
batteries on the north side, pouring forth their red hot thunder upon 
Fort Meigs, while the glorious stars and stripes were floating out in 
proud defiance from the battlements. No white flag of disgrace—no 


■20 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


General Hull was there. [Much applause.] In attempting to get into 
the fort half his men were shot down in the canoe, and the others forced 
to land upon the British shore, and find their way back—if they could 
escape the Indians in pursuit—to Fort Defiance. This was done. 

He described the subsequent battle of the 5th of May, 1813, oppo¬ 
site Fort Meigs, terminating in the death and defeat of Colonel Dudley, 
and the destruction and capture of the greater portion of his force. 
In this affair he had commanded the vanguard, composed of two spy 
companies of white men and friendly Indians, which brought on the 
engagement, and after the death of his junior captain and a number of 
his men, had himself been wounded and taken prisoner. The scenes 
subsequently occurring at Old Fort Maumee were then narrated; the 
running of the gauntlet, the shooting, stabbing, tomahawking and scalp¬ 
ing of many of the prisoners, some of them so near to him that their 
blood and brains sprinkled him. At one time the/e was apprehension 
of a general massacre, which was only prevented by the bold humanity 
of the great Tecumseh. [Sensation.] 

General C. had nothing to ask for himself; he had received his one 
hundred and sixty acres of land, and had, after more than twenty years’ 
neglect—because he was too proud to petition Congress—been placed 
on the pension roll by a special law, signed by General Jackson in 
1834. But he came here to stand by his brother soldiers, who had 
received only small tracts of land, or none at all, and to protect the 
widows and children of those who were dead. [Great applause.] 

Sir, let us go before Congress now and ask for justice, not for charity, 
and if they refuse, we will “ meet them again at Phillippi.” They 
shall hear our voices at the polls, as loud as drums and trumpets, next 
election day, and in the presidential campaign of 1856. 

If the voices of the remnant of gray-headed veterans who now alone 
remain of the four hundred thousand gallant youths who fought in 
1812-15 shall remain unheeded, we will muster millions of children 
and grandchildren, and come down like an avalanche upon our cold- 
hearted representatives hereafter. 

General Coombs concluded by reminding his brother soldiers that 
they had given to each other the right hand of fellowship, and solemnly 
pledged themselves, by every sacred obligation, to stand by each other 
while they lived, in defence of all their rights, and to aid and protect 
the bereaved widows and orphans of their deceased companions in 
arms. Let us do this, and success is certain. [Prolonged applause.] 

The following resolution was subsequently adopted: 

Resolved, That the thanks of this convention be and they are herebv 
unanimously tendered to General Leslie Coombs, of Kentucky, chair¬ 
man of the Committee on Resolutions, lor his able report thereon, as 
well as the eloquent and spirit-stirring speech which he delivered on 
that occasion. 

The preamble and resolutions having been unanimously adopted, 
Hon. James M. Porter, of Pennsylvania, addressed the convention as 
follows: 

The war of 1812 was emphatically waged for “ free-trade and sailors’ 
rights”—lor freedom to navigate the ocean in security, and to prevent 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 21 

the impressment of seamen, citizens of our country, to serve a foreign 
power. Great Britain had vaunted that 

“ The winds and sea are Britain’s wide domain, 

And not a sail but by permission spreads.” 

She had impressed thousands of our seamen, and compelled them to 
fight her battles. It was to resist these aggressions, and to establish 
our national character, which had suffered from not having previously 
done so, that we were compelled to declare war on the 18th of June, 
1812. I remember well the impression produced upon me, while yet 
a youth, by reading Mr. Clay’s eloquent description of the sufferings of 
our impressed seamen, 

“ Who sighed while they tugged at the oar.” 

And yet I am told that it was utterly impossible to transfer to a report 
the glowing eloquence of the original. 

As that war progressed, we nobly vindicated our country’s rights, 
and there need no invidious distinctions be drawn between the differ¬ 
ent arms of service engaged, nor between the citizens of different por¬ 
tions of the Union. All did their duty, Patriotism is the common 
property and characteristic of our countrymen. They taught the hire¬ 
lings of foreign powers, as well as the despots of ihe Old World, that 
“ a freeman’s arm can best defend a freeman’s home.” 

While we celebrate with becoming reverence and respect the anni¬ 
versary of that day on which the immortal Jackson ended the war in 
a blaze of glory at New Orleans, let us not be unmindful of those who 
wrested the trident of Neptune from our enemy upon the ocean. In 
the language of a Pennsylvania bard, in recounting our naval victories— 

“ First, gallant Hull, he was the lad 
Who sailed a tyrant hunting, 

And swaggering Dacres soon was glad 
To strike to striped bunting.” 

Time will not suffice, on the present occasion, to enumerate the sub¬ 
sequent victories of our noble tars upon the ocean and the gallant men 
who achieved them. Suffice it to say, that we heard no more taunts 
about a few “ fir-built frigates with pieces of striped bunting for 
colors.” 

When we turn to our gallant army, it is true that disasters accom¬ 
panied our arms at the outset. Our officers and men were chiefly taken 
from the pursuits of civil life; they were pitted against officers and 
men educated to arms, and inured to the discipline of war. But the 
Americans were apt scholars, and soon our gallant army were taught 
to conquer the conquerors of Europe. I need not name the gallant 
spirits who led theni on to victory; but York, Chippewa, Lyon’s Creek, 
Lundy’s Lane, and the river Thames, gave proof that the spirit of then- 
sires was in their sons. It is related of the gallant chieftain who now 
heads our army, that, as the hostile ranks were closing for a charge, 
and the lines were within hearing distance of each other, the British 
commander gave the order “Charge, boys, they are nothing but 
militia; they will run before you touch them.” The gallant Scott 
replied, addressing his men, “No, boys; you are American freemen; 
charge home!” and, suiting the action to the word, they drove the 


22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

veterans of England from the field. All honor, then, to the men who 
everywhere supported the flag of our country, and drove the enemy 
from our shores! That war, then, truly, was a second war of inde¬ 
pendence. It established our national character at home and abroad, 
and caused the stars and stripes to be respected wherever they floated 
on our country’s flag. 

We have enjoyed an unparalleled period of prosperity from that day 
to this. We have trebled our population. We have in a far greater 
proportion increased our national wealth. We have added State after 
State to the confederation of our Union. Civilization and the arts, 
agriculture and commerce, have been extended over the almost count¬ 
less rivers, lakes, and regions of the west; and the institutions of our 
country reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The area of 
freedom has been extended by the acquisition of additional territory, 
and by the settlement and cultivation of that which was a wilderness, 
with no tenant save the savage. It is, then, to our country, in this 
state of prosperity, with an overflowing treasury and a boundless extent 
of public lands yet to be cultivated, part of the great domain belonging 
to the whole American people, that we apply for some remuneration 
for our services in the war of 1812. We come not as mendicants, to 
seek this as a boon from the charity of our country; we come respect¬ 
fully to claim the payment of a just debt , due to us from the country 
we served, now abundantly able to pay us, and of whose government 
we are a constituent part. We ask that they should give to us a por¬ 
tion of the public lands, as was done to the soldiers of the revolution, 
to the soldiers of the regular army of 1812, and to the soldiers and 
volunteers of the Mexican war; and, as I said, we ask not this.as a 
charity, but claim it as a debt. In the proud consciousness that we 
have done our duty to our country, we ask that country to do her duty 
to us. To some of us the amount of land may be a matter of but little 
consequence; still, if due to us, we should have it. But to far the 
greater portion of us it is greatly important to smooth their descent in 
the vale of years. The} r left their homes and their firesides, their 
families and their business, at the call of their country. The farmer, 
the mechanic, the artizan, the merchant, and the professional man, left 
all their pursuits to fight for their countr} T . Many of them were then, 
and still are, in the humble walks of life, with little property, and with 
no means to sustain themselves but honest hearts and willing hands. 
When I look over this assembly, and see the heads of my companions 
silvered o’er with age, when the time for laborious exertion to sustain 
themselves and families is almost past—when I know that to many of 
them the debt due to them from their country would cheer their 
declining years and give them homes for their wives and little ones—I 
feel anxious to see that debt paid and those homes furnished. Although 
it has been said that republics are ungrateful, I think that this reproach 
will not longer be cast upon them. The people are with us, and their 
representatives will not hesitate to carry out their will. Some excuse 
may be found tor the long delay experienced by our fathers of the 
revolution in getting their claims settled in the then embarrassed state 
of the public treasury, and the want of power in the old confederation. 
The system first adopted, of giving pensions to none but paupers, was 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 


23 


almost immediately changed by the unanimous indignation of the 
■country, and pensions were granted to all the survivors. But, akis! 
they came too late to a large majority. Th^y had been promised if 
they served to the end of the war that they should receive half-pay for 
life, which was afterwards commuted, when the war closed, to full pay 
for five years, and that paid in certificates. This was an example to 
be avoided, not imitated. 

But we look for better times and for more equal justice. Forty 
years have expired since we rendered our services; a large majority of 
the volunteer army of 1812 has sunk to rest. We, their survivors, are 
their representatives; and we come to Congress, the representatives of 
ourselves and our fellow-citizens, and ask them to do justice, not only 
to us, but to the widows and orphans of our fellows, now no more. 
We cannot but think that it will give the representatives of a free 
people heart-felt pleasure to pay the honest debt which our country 
owes. 

Judge Porter having concluded his remarks, Captain Thomas 
Brownell, of Rhode Island, of the Uniled States navy, arose and 
said: 

Mr. President and brother veterans of the war of 1812-’15: I did 
not intend to have trespassed upon the lime of this convention, or to 
have asked its indulgence even for a moment. Sir, to be a member of this 
body 1 felt was honor quite sufficient for me, and I have no doubt every 
other member reciprocates that feeling. But, sir, as I stand here soli¬ 
tary and alone, being the only delegate of the sailors in this body, and 
much having been said, and justly too, in praise of the gallant conduct 
of the soldiers, I thought, sir, that I ought to say a word in favor of that 
arm of the service to which I have the honor to belong, and which I 
represent here. 

Sir, the praise so justly bestowed upon the patriotic sons of Kentucky 
by my friend, General Coombs, is true praise; but some whom I rep¬ 
resent, sir, and myself, were actors in the same scenes, standing 
shoulder to shoulder with those brave men; and should we, sir, because 
we wore the short jackets , be forgotten? No, sir; and I know my 
friend did not intend to pass us by. His whole thoughts were upon 
Kentucky; but I am sure he is willing to admit our participation in all 
the glorious deeds which they performed. 

Sir, the soldiers whom I represent were the volunteers and militia of 
the State, and may be called minute-men. They were, from their po¬ 
sition, directly as it were, upon the ocean, where more or less of the 
enemy’s cruisers were in sight almost daily. They were constantly 
threatened with invasion, and it may be truly said that they were on 
duty as a picquet-guard during the war, and they did twice during the 
war beat off the British cruisers, and the lives and property of those 
run on the shore were thereby saved; and those gallant men, of both 
arms of the service, ask to be included in whatever bounty may be dealt 
out by government. 

Sir, i came not here to eulogize my own little State, which I believe 
the record will show did her whole duty, both in the revolutionary 
war and in the war of J812—the first and second wars of independence. 
It is, I am sure, sufficient for me to say that I represent the patriotic 


24 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


State of Rhode Island, the State which gave to the country a Green 
and a Perry, and a host of other brave and patriotic men. 

Sir, time will not permit me to go into details of the gallant services 
of her sons and their devotion to the cause of their country, much less 
to particularize their acts in the cause of liberty. No, sir, I will leave 
this to history, which shows, among other things, that it was Rhode 
Island that conceived the idea of a navy for the colonies, and built, 
armed, equipped, officered and manned it. Sir, Rhode Island had ihe 
first and last admiral, and he one of her sons. 

Sir, I trust it will be pardonable in me to speak here of myself. I 
have seen some little service, during every hour of the war, from the 
Atlantic to the upper lakes. I had the good fortune to cooperate with 
the army at Fort George, Little York, and was in the battle at Erie; 
with Harrison at Malden and the river Thames, and was in the field on 
that day. I was the senior officer of three vessels ordered to Buffalo 
to cooperate and aid in crossing General Brown’s army to Fort Erie; 
was there during the siege of that place. I commanded a part of the 
force which surprised and drove out the garrison at Dover, having first 
crossed into the enemy’s country as a spy to get the necessary informa¬ 
tion before the attack. Well, sir, two hundred sailors and one hundred 
infantry crossed the lake and marched seven miles in the dead of night, 
drove out seven hundred British troops, burnt the place, and thereby 
prevented the meditated attack upon, and the destruction of, the fleet 
at Erie. 

Sir, it will be seen that the sailors contributed somewhat to our glo¬ 
rious achievements during the war, and I am sure that there is no vete¬ 
ran here who will not say, place the soldier and the sailor side by side, 
where they stood in times that tried men’s souls, and let them share, 
sir, of whatever may be meted out to them by a grateful country. 

I thank you, sir, and the convention, for your kind indulgence. 

After Captain Brownell had concluded, General Coombs rose and 
said, that everything uttered by his friend was true; and if he (General 
Coombs) had omitted to make special mention of the gallant little State 
of Rhode Island, in his hasty, desultory remarks, it was because he 
knew that noble commonwealth was too well represented in this assem¬ 
bly to need his feeble tongue to do her justice. The gentleman who 
had just spoken had long since placed his name in history, on the same 
page with that of the immortal Perry, and it could occupy no prouder 
position. General Coombs said that he could never forget Rhode 
Island, for his heart was now far off* in Kentucky, safely located in the 
bosom of a Rhode Island woman, and in the veins of his children the 
blood of Church and Brownell found a common channel with his own. 

After which, the following resolution was offered and unanimously 
adopted: 

Resolved , That we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred 
honor to our country whenever she may need them. 

General McCall a, of Kentucky, (residing in Washington city,) ad¬ 
dressed the convention as follows: 

Mr. President : I hold in my hand a document which I think im¬ 
portant to the interests of this convention, and therefore solicit a few 
minutes’ attention. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 25 

(Order being called, and silence restored, General McCalla pro¬ 
ceeded.) 

In listening to the resolutions you have adopted, and to the speeches 
made in their support, I have heard frequent appeals made to the jus¬ 
tice of Congress. 1 hold in my hands the copy of a record which I am 
sure will satisfy you that we may rely with perfect safety on not only 
the justice, but the liberal generosity of that honorable portion of our 
government. To keep you no longer in suspense, 1 will state that it is 
the bill paid to the Messrs. Brown, hotel keepers in this city, for the 
expenses of “ his excellency Governor Louis Kossuth and suite ” (they 
call it “sweet” now, in my younger days the word was called sute) 
during a few days’ sojourn in this city. [Great laughter.] This docu¬ 
ment has been placed in my hands by an honorable gentleman from 
Ohio, under the belief that it would be acceptable to you, he being dis¬ 
qualified by his youth from offering it personally. Although he was- 
in his infancy during the war in which we have participated, yet his 
father was one of us, and aided in the struggles on the northwestern 
frontier. Here is the bill of particulars against the United States, which 
was duly paid off': 

To board for Governor Kossuth and suite, having ten par- 
parlors and twenty-two chambers, thirteen and a half 
days, twenty-three persons. $3,588 Off 

SUNDRIES. 

Champaigne, sherry, maderia, cigars, lemonade, bar bill, 
washing, medicines, post office stamps, porterage and 
messengers, hack hire paid at different times, telegraphs, 
sugar, brandy and whiskey in room, porter and ale, en¬ 


velopes, barber’s bill, amounting in all to. 658 82 

Bill for carriages engaged for governor and suite. 319 50 


4,566 32 


You will perceive that about fifteen dollars a day, on an average, were 
paid for each individual, servants included, during the visit of the ex¬ 
president of Hungary to this capital. They must have thought that 
this was a glorious country, from the zest with which they feasted on its 
good things, especially its “sundries.” 

Mr. President, after hearing this record read, is there one member 
of this venerable convention that any longer feels a doubt of success in 
our appeal to Congress for land and pensions ? If such liberality was 
shown towards a band of foreigners, whose whole claim on our sym¬ 
pathy was based on the fact that they had fought for their own free¬ 
dom^ a foreign land, what may we not look for in behalf of those 
who battled for American freedom in a great and important war ? 
[Applause.] Do you suppose they will stop at the granting of the 
common rewards of pensions and land bounties? I look for some ad¬ 
ditional displays of feeling from that quarter on this occasion to mark 
their pleasure at our presence here. No doubt persons will be ap- 








26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

pointed to go round to your several lodgings and pay off all your bills 
for boarding, as well as sundries , provided you do not stay longer than 
thirteen days. [Great laughter and applause.] 

While I am up, Mr. President, allow me to make a few more re¬ 
marks, naturally prompted by this interesting scene. While standing, 
a few minutes since, in one of the back pews, in company with two 
members of Congress, who appeared to be deeply impressed by what 
they saw, one of them called my attention to the masses of the con¬ 
vention who occupied the seats before us, all of whom were whitened 
by the frosts of age upon their heads, and sat with dignified composure. 
He said he had never witnessed such a scene, and was evidently deeply 
impressed by it. And now from this position, in regarding the specta¬ 
cle of so many, venerable men, all of whom have borne arms for their 
country, and are now, and probably for nearly or quite forty years have 
been, incorporated in the masses of society, performing in civil life all 
the duties of citizens, profound reflections are excited. Where, in what 
country, under what sun, can such a sight be witnessed ? [A voice : 
“ No where.”] Yes, you may truly say, “ No where.” 

The philosophy of our government, upon which is based its strength, 
is to be found in the principle that none are so suitable to defend its 
institutions as those to whom they belong. [Applause.] In foreign 
governments, standing armies raised, commanded, and paid by monarchs, 
fight for their masters, without patriotism and without intelligence. 
When, in the progress of events, a disbandment of any part of the 
army becomes necessary, do the soldiery become absorbed in the 
masses of society again, and resume the several occupations they once 
pursued? No, sir, they do not. Their civil pursuits are forgotten or 
rendered distateful by the vicious habits of the camp, and those who 
do not adopt courses which lead to the prison or the gallows become 
burdens on the charities of the community. Not so in this free and 
happy land. Should the toscin of war be heard, the young and the 
vigorous, roused and animated by patriotic ardor, tear themselves from 
the embraces of parents, and sisters, and friends, and emulating the 
deeds of the fathers of our republic, fly to uphold the star spangled 
banner, and to defend, with their strong arms, the inheritance they 
have received from them. [Applause.] 

Whilst in the field, they are followed by the hopes, the fears, and 
the prayers of those to whom they are so dear. If they fall, their 
memory is embalmed in the hearts of their friends, and history records 
their services and their fate. If peace restores them to their homes, 
they find arms opened wide to receive them, and are at once sur¬ 
rounded with the respect and attachment of society. The young hang 
upon their lips, and drink in the glowing details of dangers, of achieve¬ 
ments, and of sufferings; and they thus become the teachers and in¬ 
spires of patriotism in the succeeding generation. They resume their 
former occupations, and add to the wealth and resources of the country 
they have defended by their industry and labor. This convention, the 
representatives of a great class, illustrates the s}'stem and proves the 
truth of what I have advanced. The schools by which, in early life, 
they received their education, enlightened and sanctified by an open 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


27 


bible, furnish the pillars, intelligence, and virtue on which free govern¬ 
ments must always rest. [Applause.] 

In approaching so near to the end of our course, we naturally recur 
to our early associations in our military lives, especially to those who 
died by our sides in the public service. While we stand here, grey¬ 
haired and tottering with infirmities of age, they died in the vigor of 
youth. But their sacrifices and their fate will cling to our memory 
until we follow them to “the bourne from whence no traveller returns.” 
I need not add the conviction that the friendship always created by 
companionship in peril will continue to unite us to each other. We 
cannot hope ever to meet again, as we have now met, this side the 
grave, but we can carry with us the recollection of the pleasures we 
have enjoyed in this re-union as a treasure and “a pleasure of memory” 
as long as we linger here on earth. [Great applause.] 

The President, Colonel Sutherland, offered the following resolution, 
which was unanimously adopted: 

Resolved , That the surviving soldiers of the army and navy, in the 
war of 1812, do now form themselves into a society to be known as 
the “ United Brethren of the War of 1812.” 

After which several addresses were delivered.by dislinguished mem¬ 
bers of the convention, of which no reports have been furnished, and 
the convention then adjourned until the next day at 10 o’clock. 

January 9, 1855. 

The convention met at 10 o’clock, and was opened with the follow¬ 
ing prayer, by the Rev. Dr. Westbrook, of New York, a chaplain in the 
service during the war of 1812: 

Great Father of us all, who hast made of one blood all the nations 
that dwell on earth, our father who art in heaven, we, thy children, 
fragments of that mighty arm which didst wield in defence of the rights 
and for the vindication of the honor of thine American Israel, our be¬ 
loved country, we do humbly appear before thee and adore thee as the 
great master of assemblies—of all assemblies—especially of this assem¬ 
bly, in which are congregated the remnants of the army of freedom, the 
representatives of the mighty dead, we ask, we fervently ask for thy 
gracious presence with us this day, the enlightenment of thine eternal 
spirit to stir up the hearts of our orators with the distinct recollection 
of the deeds of noble bearing, and to touch their tongues with the fire 
of truth and of power from above. Preside in our councils, direct our 
deliberations; give unto us the distinguished privilege of those who 
feel “how good and how pleasant it is lor brethren to dwell together in 
unity.” We ask it for Jesus’ sake. Amen. 

Harvey Baldwin, esq., of New York, offered the following resolution, 
which was adopted: 

Resolved, That a committee, consisting of one or more from each 
State, to be selected by the delegates thereof, be appointed, whose duty 
it shall be to examine the bill now before Congress, for the relief of the 
united brothers of the war of 1812, and to propose such amendments 
as they may think necessary, and to urge its passage by Congress. 


28 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


The following delegates were selected as the committee: 

Committee appointed to remain in Washington , Sfc. 

Maine. —Zachariah Lawrence and Samuel Tyler. 

Massachusetts. —Robert Keith. 

Rhode Island. —Captain Thomas Brownell, U. S. N. 

Connecticut. —C. R. Johnson and Timothy Fitch. 

New York. —General John S. Van Rensselaer and Harvey Baldwin. 

New Jersey. —Colonel John W. Mickle and Thomas Throckmorton. 

Pennsylvania. —Hon. Andrew Stewart and Willis Foulk. 

Delaware. —B. H. Springer and M. Macklin. 

Maryland. —Dr. J. K. Sappington and General Ely. 

Virginia.— Colonel William P. Young, General G. T. Rust, and 
General G. T. Cook. 

North Carolina. —Wm. Thompson. 

District of Columbia. —Colonel J. L. Edwards, J. S. Gallaber, and 
George McNeir. 

Kentucky. —General Leslie Combs, Colonel C. S. Todd, and J. H. 
Holeman. 

Ohio. —General George Kesling, and John Galloway. 

Indiana. —Captain Cochran. 

Wisconsin. —General John Shaw. 

Iowa. —Major Samuel Byers. 

The president of the convention, Colonel J. B. Sutherland. 

General John S. Van Rensselaer, of New York, offered the follow¬ 
ing resolutions : 

Resolved, That it is expedient for the united brothers of the war of 
1812, in the several States of the Union and in the District of Colum¬ 
bia, to organize themselves into divisions, brigades, and regiments. 

Resolved , That at every convention hereafter called, and held by the 
united brothers of the war of 1812, each delegate shall record his 
name, place of residence, and his military services in that war. 

General Van Rensselaer, in support of the resolutions, begged leave 
to remark, that the only State in the Union in which the veterans of 
1812 had an entire organization was the State of New York. Expe¬ 
rience had proven in that State the advantages arising from that or¬ 
ganization, which he desired to extend to all the States. That organi¬ 
zation was established with a view, first, to reunite in the various 
localities where they may reside the survivors of the volunteers and 
militia who served in the war of 1812, the evidence of such service 
being the receipt, by each member or candidate, of a land warrant or 
pension from the United States ; second, to endeavor to obtain from 
the national and State legislatures such compensation for their services 
and sacrifices in time and money as may be justly due ; third, to ap¬ 
peal to the national legislature for such testimonials of gratitude as 
would be worthy of the richest, most prosperous, enlightened, and free 
nation of the earth, towards those who had freely given all they had, 
and all they were, to defend her in her season of weakness and peril, 
shall be the objects sought to be obtained by the organization proposed. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 


29 


In order to organize the veterans in any State, General Van Rensse¬ 
laer proposed, 1st, That three or more prominent citizens who served 
in the war of 1812, in every State or Territory, and in the District of 
Columbia, should give public notice that a State convention of the 
veterans ot all grades and service of the war of 1812, in person or by 
delegates from every town and county of the State, &c., should as¬ 
semble at a specified time and place to associate themselves into a 
military organization, and to elect a general-in-chief. 

2d. It shall be the duty of the general-in chief so elected to organ¬ 
ize, by general orders, the veterans in said State, &c., into divisions, 
brigades, and regiments, and appoint the officers to command the 
same ; the major generals and brigadier generals shall appoint their 
staff'officers, and the colonels shall appoint their captains, whose duty 
it shall be to enroll the veterans of every grade in their respective beats 
or towns or counties, and forward their names, services, and claims to 
the colonel, and the colonel to the general-in-chief, who will see to the 
proper disposition of them. 

3d. The officers so appointed will be, as they now are in the State 
of New York, the standing delegates ; and experience will prove, as it 
has done in the State of New York, that the officers selected will be 
the men who truly served their country in the war of 1812, and are 
now impelled by the same impulses of genuine American pride and 
feeling, by the same lofty aspirations of genuine patriotism, which 
swelled the bosoms and animated the hearts of the brave men who 
took the field, resolved that the American eagle should not quail to the 
British lion, the star-spangled banner never droop before British bay¬ 
onets, and our sturdy republic never bow the knee to any prince, 
potentate, or power. 

Experience has shown us, continued General Van Rensselaer, in the 
State of New York, that by this organization we have been enabled to 
reach every veteran of the war of 1812 in the State, to learn his claims 
and services, to give force and action to the veterans as an organized 
and compact body, and to secure to the humblest claimant the influ¬ 
ence and weight of the whole body. 

In this way the veterans also are prepared for military action, if any 
emergency should at anv time require the able-bodied to take the 
field. 

The general-in-chief issues his general orders in a printed form, sent 
by mail to each general and colonel of the organization, and directs its 
whole action and calls conventions in the same way. 

General Van Rensselaer concluded by hoping that all the States and 
Territories, and the District of Columbia, would adopt a similar organ¬ 
ization. 

The resolutions were adopted. 

The following resolutions were also unanimously adopted : 

Offered by James A. Kennedy, esq., 

Resolved , That this convention respectfully tenders its thanks to Col. 
William Hickey for his beautiful military escort to and from the Presi¬ 
dent’s mansion. 

Resolved , That the sincere thanks of this convention are hereby ten¬ 
dered to the Rev. Byron Sunderland and his congregation, for the use 


30 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


of this church for the meetings of the convention, and that he be affec¬ 
tionately requested to furnish a copy of his prayer delivered at the 
opening of the same, for publication. 

By General Thomas Machin. 

Resolved , That the thanks of this convention be, and the same are 
hereby, tendered to the committee of arrangements, the delegates of 
the District of Columbia, and the marshals, who have so efficiently 
acted in the preliminary arrangements and ceremonies of this occasion, 
and for their kind and courteous attentions to the veterans of the war 
of 1812. 

Convention of soldiers of 1812, at Washington , Tuesday , January 9, 1855. 

Ex-governor Sprigg, of Maryland, made a motion, which was sec¬ 
onded, that Colonel Todd , of Kentucky , an aide-de-camp of General Har¬ 
rison during the war in the northwest , and who is a member of this body, 
be requested to address the convention. The motion being unani¬ 
mously adopted, Colonel Todd proceeded as follows: 

Mr. President and fellow soldiers : I cannot find words to express 
the deep sensibility with which I receive the testimony of' kindness 
conveyed in the resolution inviting me to say something to the conven¬ 
tion in regard to the war of 1812, a war so just in its origin and so 
glorious in its results. It is a subject of unfeigned gratitude to the 
Author of all mercies that so many of the soldiers of that war have 
been preserved, after the lapse of forty years, to meet at the council 
city of this great republic, to look upon each other’s countenances, 
take each other by the hand, and commune with one another upon the 
varied events of that memorable struggle in which they suffered, 
fought, and, many of them, bled together. 

If I know myself, fellow soldiers, I have no wish to speak of myself, 
especially after the apparent impatience to devote the time of the con¬ 
vention to matters of business rather than to long narratives of personal 
incidents. I hope, then, I may be pardoned for not adverting to the 
thrilling scenes of the campaigns of the northwest, in which the illus¬ 
trious Harrison and his subordinates rendered such gallant service. 
The discharge of this duty, however gratifying to me, would seem to 
imply a commendation of my own career by the side of that efficient 
commander. And in referring to the well fought fields of Tippecanoe, 
Massissinawa, Fort Meigs, Sandusky 5 and the crowning victory at the 
Thames, I cannot omit to notice the heroism displayed at Queenstown, 
York, Chippewa, Lundy’s Lane, Fort Erie, Plattsburg, Baltimore, and 
New Orleans, where, as a member of this convention who participated 
in that glorious event remarked with great justice, the genius and reso¬ 
lution of Jackson, on the 23d December , saved the city. 

I presume to refer to myself solely with the view to illustrate a 
thought which I am sure is dear to every bosom in this convention. I 
mean the just pride which animates every heart in the reflection that 
he was a soldier of the war o/'1812; a war into which a member of the 
British parliament said we could not be kicked, but which, in its glori¬ 
ous results on the land and the ocean, has secured respect to our char¬ 
acter abroad, and stability to the government at home. The crisis was 


THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OP 1812 . 


31 


an untried test to the Constitution in its capacity to stand under the 
pressure of a foreign war; but in this, as in subsequent epochs of 
assault on the great charter of freedom, the hearts of the people have 
made it the stronger as the pressure was greater. It was my good 
fortune to enter this war in the first detactment destined to relieve Hull, 
who had included us in the surrender, but we would not stay surren¬ 
dered. Shortly after its close, I was deputed by that revolutionary sol¬ 
dier and distinguished patriot, President Monroe, to succeed the heroic 
Perry, with whom I was associated on two elements, in a mission to 
one of the new republics on the southern continent*; and whether bear¬ 
ing the recognition of its independence and its introduction into the 
great family of nations, or dwelling in the country of Manuel Torres, 
Arismendi, Paez, Santander, and Bolivar, or climbing the snow-capped 
Andes, my proudest feeling sprung from the recollection that 1 had 
been a soldier of the war of 1812. In after times I was sent as our 
minister plenipotentiary to the court of that remarkable sovereign who, 
since the days of the great Napoleon, fills a larger space in the eye of 
the world than any other monarch of Europe ; of that majestic empe¬ 
ror who is now engaging the attention of the allies, and long may he 
occupy their attention and divert it from us, since, of all the great 
rulers of the earth, he is our best friend! At his court, and by his side 
in his military camp of 100,000 men, I was proud to appear in my 
uniform of inspector general, to which I attained in the glorious war of 
1812. 

I cannot, fellow soldiers, exaggerate the importance of the war of 1812 
in fixing the destiny and character of our beloved country. It demon¬ 
strated to the governments of the old world that we are invulnerable 
as a defensive power, and that henceforth and forever the star-spangled 
banner will float freely and fearlessly in every sea. The great results 
of this war sustain the beautiful thought of an eloquent statesman of Ken¬ 
tucky, in reference to the recognition of the South American republics,, 
that “our beloved country, in her example to other nations, is destined 
to stand out as a pillar of fire amid benighted despotism, lighlmg up the 
path of unborn millions to the temple of freedom 

One thought more, fellow soldiers, and I have done. We have all,, 
probably, fought our last battle but one. Let us wait with patience 
and hope our last marching orders ! 

Mr. Custis being called upon, rose and addressed the meeting. This 
gentleman and Major Peter were the veterans of the veterans, both 
having been commissioned and having served in the army of 1798. 
Mr. Custis, in compliment to the occasion, wore a much-tarnished silver 
epaulette, which had been placed on his shoulder by Washington fifty- 
six years before. Mr. Custis said: 

Mr. President, fellow-citizens, and fellow-soldiers, 1 am not here by 
right, but by the courtesy of your most kind invitation. I have no 
services to boast of that would entitle me to a seat among the old 
soldiers of 1812. My poor services in the war of 1812, though prompt 
and faithfully rendered, are not worthy of remembrance or record. 
Par, very far different were the services of those who I have the honor 
to address on this interesting occasion. I see before me soldiers who 
bore the brunt of battle in the second war of independence, and who 


32 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


by toils, privations, and hardships, second only to those of their revo¬ 
lutionary fathers, have wreathed their brows with laurels that time or 
circumstance will never fade. [Cheers.] 

The events of the war of 1812 prove to the world that the Ameri¬ 
can is born a soldier, that he lives a soldier, and fame has long ago 
trumpeted to the world that he can die a soldier. At the call of his 
country, he leaves his fireside for the tented field with little training, 
without experience in war, he rushes to the combat, and struggles with 
veterans bred to arms and grown old in.victory. 

The object of this meeting of grey-beards from every part of our 
widely-extended empire is to claim from the constituted authorities re¬ 
muneration for services rendered in the second time in our history 
“ that tried mens’ souls.” Just and righteous is your object, my 
friends; may success be its end. Then, attention, old soldiers! For¬ 
ward is the word. March to the palace of the national legislature, and 
prefer your claim ; but not on bended knee as supplicants for charity, 
but erect, eyes to the right, lofty and commanding as you appeared 
before the enemy on the battle fields of your country, and say to the 
conscript fathers of the capitol: We are Americans who have done 
the State some service, we ask not your charity, nay, not even your 
gratitude, we claim your justice. 

Far different was the disbandment of an American army in 1783 
and in 1815. In the first instance, the beloved Washington said to the 
companions of his toils, his fortunes, and his fame, lay down your arms 
my comrades, retire to your homes, and become peaceful and prosper¬ 
ous citizens of the noble empire your virtues and valor has won. Your 
country is poor, but is honest, and in due time will reward your ser¬ 
vices. Farewell, dear comrades, companions in arms of many a toil¬ 
some march, of many a hard fought field. Go, be free, be happy! 

But what a contrast is there between our country in 1783, the days 
of our poverty, and 1855, the days of our greatness. Our country is 
no longer poor, I trust she will always be honest. [Cheers.] 

The American people, permit me to say, is a peculiar race of God’s 
creation. Although composed of materials drawn from various na¬ 
tions, still the American is unique, and stands alone from the family of 
mankind as a people proudly pre-eminent for having “ enacted more 
wonders” in the world than any people under the sun. 

When the war of 1812 was declared, what were our preparations 
and resources to meet in conflict our powerful antagonist, with the ex¬ 
ception of stout hearts and willing hands? Everything was to create, 
and yet in but a little while resources were developed that were scarce¬ 
ly supposed to exist, and the European world became amazed on be¬ 
holding a gallant navy ploughing the waters of a lake whose placid 
surface had only before been disturbed by the ripple of an Indian’s 
canoe; for forests had been cut down when in full foliage and convert¬ 
ed into ships of war, guns had been dragged across a wilderness cost¬ 
ing their value in silver, sailors hauled in wagons, jolting over execra¬ 
ble roads, that caused the gallant fellows to swear lustily at the rough¬ 
ness of their voyage; at length the primeval forests, the echoes of 
which for ages had only been awakened by the sound of the hunter’s 
rifle, resounded to the thunders of cannon which proclaimed the triumph 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 38 

of the star spangled banner, for illustrious Perry had “ met the enemy 
and had made them ours.” [Cheers.] 

And who were the naval commanders in the brilliant victories of 
Erie and Champlain, veteran admirals hobbling on their quarter decks 
in all the glories of gout and fifty years’ service? They were young 
lieutenants, scarcely past the period of early manhood. America, my 
country, while you remember your soldiers, oh never forget your blue 
jackets. When you forget them God will forget you. it was left for 
the American sailor to break the charm that for centuries had held the 
maritime world in bondage by striking the flag that “ for a thousand 
years had braved the battle and the breeze,” and teaching the self- 
styled mistress of the ocean that America could “march upon the 
mountain wave,” America would share in the empire of the deep. 

The 8th of January, the anniversary of which we now celebrate, 
stands out in bold relief amid the history of battles. In all the chro¬ 
nicles of arms, ancient or modern, from Marathon to Waterloo and 
Sebastopol, there is no fellow to it. Two thousand seven hundred 
warriors put hors du combat, with a loss to the victors of half a dozen 
men. And yet the defeated army was composed of veteran soldiers 
gallantly commanded, w'ho had earned laurels in the campaigns of the 
peninsula under the renowned captain of the age. Up went the signal 
rocket, and gaily advanced as fine an army as ever trod a hostile 
shore—proud of their fame, confident in their courage and discipline, 
and calculating that after a slight brush they would enter New Orleans, 
and revel in the spoils of “ beauty and booty and so they might have 
done but that a lion lay in the way. 

Forever honored be the memory of Jackson; honor to his brave 
comrades living and dead; and when the chronicles of the warlike 
ages of the world shall record the greatest martial achievement of all 
time, they will not term it the battle of New Orleans, but the 8th of 
January, 1815, and the annihilation of a British army. [Cheers.] 

While the diplomats were arranging the treaty of Ghent, the English 
plenipotentiary said to our own dear Harry Clay: “We shall have to 
give you back New Orleans, Mr. Clay, for we certainly have taken it 
by this time.” “ I don’t know that,” replied the gallant old Harry. 
“But, my dear Mr. Clay,” continued the Englishman, “recollect the 
kind of troops we have sent on that expedition—Wellington’s veterans, 
commanded by the brother-in-law of the great captain.” “Can’t help 
that, my lord,” replied the American; “we Yankees do most extraor¬ 
dinary things sometimes.” The illustrious statesman might with great 
propriety have said, the Yankees do extraordinary things at all times. 
Of a truth, my friends, the history of our beloved country, from the 
days of its nothingness as a colonial dependency up to its proud eleva¬ 
tion as a great, free, and independent empire, is a romance, and all will 
allow, a glorious romance. Already your eagle dips one pinion in the 
Atlantic, and the other in the Pacific shadowing a mightier empire 
than the one o’er which the imperial bird of Rome once winged his 
majestic flight, and on which the Roman sandal once trod in victory. 

And where, let me ask, does the eye of hope repose when seeking a 
refuge from the corruptions and oppressions of the old world? ’Tison 
Mis. Doc. 18-3 



34 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


the eagle empire “throned in the west,” “the land of the free, and the 
home of the brave.” [Cheers.J 

Give us in the next half century but the gigantic progress in agricul¬ 
ture, commerce, arts, and arms, that our country has attained in the 
last, and the babe is now born who shall behold America, beloved 
America, the master power of the world. [Cheers.] 

Adieu to the venerable and the brave! Ere we can meet again, how 
many of us will be stricken from the muster rolls of iife? May the 
applause of man, and the blessings of heaven make serene and happy 
the latter days of the defenders of their country; and when at your 
firesides the grandchild climbs your knees to hear of battle, tell him 
“America expects that every man will do his duty;” that in a republic 
every man must be a soldier; and when you recount to the admiring 
boy the glories of Chippewa and Lundy’s Lane, “shoulder your crutch 
and show how fields were won,” fail not to impress upon his infant 
mind the sublime and patriotic truth, that next to the duties he owes to 
his God are the duties he owes to his country. [The veteran sat down 
amid much applause.] 

Major George Peter, of Maryland, having been called upon, ad¬ 
dressed the convention as follows : 

I rise in obedience to commands. The first duty of a soldier is, 
obedience to orders. Public speaking belongs to gentlemen of another 
profession. Soldiers are taught to speak from the mouths of their can¬ 
non and small arms. Whilst we have done ample justice to ourselves 
and the hero of New Orleans, we have failed to notice our gallant 
brethren of the army and navy upon the lakes and the ocean. 

I entered the army at an early period of life under the auspices of 
Washington, and have served with many of those officers who dis¬ 
tinguished themselves on the frontier. First with Pike, the hero of 
Yorktown ; Gains, of Erie; Scott, of Lundy’s Lane, Chippewa, &c*; 
Jessup, Gibson, Wood, Hindman, and others of the regular army. As 
also with Taylor and others, in what was termed the regular western 
army. My deceased and gallant friend and companion in arms, Pike 
and myself, accompanied General Wilkinson in the organization of the 
territorial government of Missouri. I marched from the city of Wash¬ 
ington, on the 1st April, 1805, and arrived at St. Louis on the 4th July 
succeeding, with the detachment under my command. 

I established the first cantonment on the banks of the Missouri, at 
Bellefontaine, and fired the first national salute on the return of Lewis 
and Clark from their exploring expedition to the shores of the Pacific. 

We have not forgotten the depredations committed by England and 
France, before and during the war of 1812. England was made to 
feel the power of the arms of the United States by that war. France, 
by her Berlin and Milan decrees, confiscated vessels and merchandize 
belonging to citizens of the United States to the amount of millions of 
dollars. At the time that we were extending acts of kindness and friend¬ 
ship towards the great Napoleon, when 1 was an humble soldier at 
Fort Columbus, New York, two French frigates, Didon and Cybele, in 
one of which, Napoleon made his escape from Egypt, laid under our 
batteries for weeks, whilst Commodore Douglass, of the British navy, 
occupied the “Narrows” with an equal or superior force, to give them 


THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812 . 


85 


battle in attempting to pass out by that, the usual route. The mayor 
of the city, aware of their condition, sent a permit to Captain Wiley, 
commanding officer, for these vessels to pass between the island and 
the city, through Hurl Gate, into the Sound, by which means they 
escaped the attack of Douglass, and returned to France ; this was in 
the fall of 1804, and during the succeeding winter, Jerome Bonaparte, 
now prince Jerome, whose fleet was dismantled off our coast, was 
courteously received at Washington, Baltimore, and Norfolk, whilst a 
lew of his vessels that escaped took shelter in the harbor of Annapolis. 
Whilst there, a detachment of sailors from those ships came to Wash¬ 
ington, and, at midnight, entered the residence of the French minister, 
Tureau, seized his lady, and dragged her upon the avenue. Her screams 
soon brought to her aid many of the neighbors, and amongst them, 
Dr. Thornton, an old magistrate, who was the means of relieving her 
from her perilous condition, whilst in the act of gagging her. Suspicion 
was strong, but the mystery was never revealed. Whilst up, I will 
correct a historical error in the memoir of General Armstrong. Re¬ 
tiring from the field of battle, I met with General Winder, at the north 
gate of the capitol, and whilst in conversation with him, Colonel Mon¬ 
roe, Secretary of State, and General Armstrong, Secretary of War, 
rode up. These gentlemen saluted each other, General Armstrong 
addressing himself to General Winder, said. General Winder, what do 
you now propose to do. General Winder replied that General Stans- 
bury’s command, as also the whole of the troops composing the first 
line, having abandoned the field and dispersed, and Barney’s guns cap¬ 
tured and himself left wounded on the field, he was no longer capable 
of meeting the enemy, and would consequently retire with the remain¬ 
der of his troops to the heights of Georgetown. General Armstrong 
says in his memoirs, that he advised General Winder to occupy the 
capitol with Barney’s and Peter’s artillery, when he must have known 
that the commodore and his guns were in the hands of the enemy. I 
distinctly state that no such conversation occurred at that time. 

I was present with my battery of six six-pounders after leaving the 
field, after having discharged 108 rounds of round and canister shot at 
the enemy, myself and men ready and willing to occupy any situation 
that might be assigned us. 

General Winder, a native of my State, Maryland, possessed talent, 
courage and patriotism, but wanted that experience in military science 
and tactics that were so essential on that occasion. 

Having served at “Indian Head,” on the Potomac, with the gallant 
Perry, of Lake Erie memory, who died in a foreign land, I, by a reso¬ 
lution offered in the House of Representatives, had his remains brought 
home to his native land. 

Speech of Colonel Hamtramck , of Virginia . 

Mr. President: It was not my purpose to have said a word when 
I came to this venerable convention. I had rather intended to have 
followed the precepts of the bible, and let all my words be yea, yea, 
or nay, nay ; but finding that I am the sole representative here of Major 
Zachary Taylor’s last expedition in the war of 1812, some friends 


36 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONTENTION OF 


around me think that a few words relative to that expedition may not 
be uninteresting to you. 

Mr. President, I rise to address this relic of former days with emo¬ 
tions I have never felt before. Here are the silvered remains of a con¬ 
quering army—two thousand of the defenders of my country are now 
assembled in this sacred edifice; forty winters have passed over them 
since they sheathed their swords, and the frost of those winters now 
whiten their brows. Men who, forty years ago, panted young, buoyant, 
active, and victorious, now meet old, venerated, respected, and beloved; 
sages have taken the place of boys; the eye that flashed in battle, is 
now dim behind glasses; and many an arm that struck with stalwart 
force for victory and for country, is now trembling with age ; but yet 
ready again to strike in the same glorious cause. Time has, no doubt, 
made sad havoc with the army of 1812 to 1815, but he has left here a 
band of brothers, who would be formidable as a forlorn hope. Death 
could not rob us of many years; and oh, what glory it would be to go 
down to our graves as the victorious, silver-headed forlorn hope ! But 
to the expedition. 

Prarie du Chien—the only fortified post between St. Louis and the 
combined forces of the British and Indians on the Upper Mississippi— 
had been taken, and St. Louis was threatened. Governor Howard has¬ 
tily collected a small force, some 300 men, and Major John Campbell, 
United States arm}q was assigned to the command. His orders were 
to arrest the advance of the enemy, retake Prarie du Chien, if possible, 
or hold our foes in check until a larger expedition could be organized 
and sent to his relief. Campbell (as brave a soldier as ever drew 
sword) was attacked in ambuscade, while lying at shore, by a large 
number of Sauke and Fox Indians. After engaging them some time, 
being himself wounded, and seeing his men falling fast around him, he 
found it impossible to force his way up the river, and therefore fell 
back upon St. Louis. When he returned and we beheld the wounded 
borne upon litters from the boats into town, a wail went up that 
reached every patriotic heart, and men and boys flew to arms. I was 
then a bo}q sixteen years old, and I volunteered under Captain Nelson 
Rector. In a short time a force of eight hundred men, manning eight 
boats, was put under the command of Major Zachary Taylor, (God 
bless his memory,) and we ascended the Mississippi to the mouth of 
Rock river, where we met the enemy. While moored at a small wil¬ 
low island, near the right bank of the Mississippi and opposite Rock 
river, the Indians attacked us at daylight, and the British opened their 
batteries upon us from the left bank. Our boats were boarded up all 
around with oak plank, and on each deck we had a small piece of ar¬ 
tillery. The boards were a safe breastwork against the rifle balls of 
the Indians, but worse than brown paper against the cannon shot of 
the British on the other side of the river, and our artillery was too 
light to do any damage to the British battery; but for the cannon of 
the enemy we could have maintained the fight all day ; their shot 
passed through and through our boats, and soon would have left us a 
mere wreck. The Indians had crossed the river during the night, and 
had left some hundred canoes at the foot of the island against which 
we lay moored, and where the Indians appeared in great numbers. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


37 


Major Taylor ordered Captain Rector to pull down to where the canoes 
lay and split them to pieces; we executed the order without the loss 
of a man, but scarcely had we returned to the shelter of our boats, 
when some hundreds of the Indians left the island and attacked us from 
the main shore. Keokuck, whom I met many years after, when I was 
Indian agent, told me that though a boy he was in the affair, and that 
the boat which destroyed the canoes left many an Indian corpse on the 
shore. 

Our boat had a mast, and a scene occurred which rivals anything 
for gallantry I have ever heard, and which, amidst the battle’s roar, 
created shouts of laughter. We had two Indians on board, of the Kas- 
kaskia tribe, and one of them was named Jim Cox. The confinement 
on board during the fight was repulsive to his nature, so, denuding 
himself to the skin, he sprang on top and concealed himself behind the 
mast; ever and anon his rifle would crack, and a hostile Indian would 
fall. Each time, as he saw a foe bite the dust, he would call down 
through the hatchway, “Cape ten, nud-der Injin dead—God damn;” 
when those below would burst out in a roar of laughter, admiring at 
the time Jim’s gallantry and his wit. 

When we disembarked for the purpose of cutting up the canoes, our 
boat, lightened of the weight of the men, floated close against the shore, 
and when we re-embarked without shoving off, she grounded. The 
Indians soon detected our situation, and made repeated charges to take 
the boat, but as often were repulsed with considerable loss. Ultimately 
the men jumped into the water on the outside of the boat, having her be¬ 
tween us and the Indians, and so lightened, we pulled her off The 
affair lasted several hours, when Major Taylor perceiving that his forces 
were fighting to disadvantage, drew them off and formed on land, in a 
prairie, daring the enemy to meet him there. We remained on the 
ground the balance of the day, and at night withdrew to our boats. 
Finding that the enemy had concentrated all his forces at Rock river, 
Major Taylor relinquished the idea of advancing further up the river. 
We therefore dropped down to the foot of the rapids, where we erected 
Fort Johnson. This fortification effectually checked the advance of the 
enemy upon St. Louis, and entirely relieved the whole country from 
further apprehensions of any molestation by the enemy. 

Speech of Colonel Judson , of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. President and brother soldiers of the war of 1812. We are 
convened here at this time for two important purposes; the one to 
celebrate the battle of New Orleans, that closed the second war of 
independence in a blaze of glory, and that victory achieved mostly by 
citizen soldiers, under the command of the immortal Jackson, a soldier 
of the revolution, a lawyer at the bar, a judge on the bench, a legislator 
in our national councils, a hero in the battle field, and a President of 
the noblest republic beneath the canopy of heaven. 

The other to present our just claims at the very doors of Congress, 
not as mendicant suppliants, but as freemen, creditors, asking for jus¬ 
tice long delayed. Our government seems never to have realized the 
magnitude of the second war of independence, or they could not have 


38 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


left the soldiers and their widows and orphans of that war, to languish 
in poverty for forty years, anci die almost unsepultured. Many yet live, 
but most of them breasting the chilly winds of poverty. The war ol 
1812 involved the interests of liberty throughout the world. England 
had ever treated the recognition of our independence in 1783 as a truce. 
The terms had been frittered away, until accumulated aggression, 
tamely borne by our government, had become so notorious and aggra¬ 
vated that other nations considered us imbecile cowards, and the experi¬ 
ment of a republic and self-government a failure. It was then that 
Madison recommended a declaration of war to a Congress with hearts 
of oak and neryes of steel, to sanction and carry out the recommend¬ 
ation. England, with war fires kindled in the numerous tribes of red 
men, from Florida to Canada, with Tecumseh to lead them—the bravest 
the most sagacious and the most humane officer in the British army, 
while he lived, victory perched over the British lion, when he fell the 
tide of war was rolled back on the enemy, and Proctor fled like a 
coward. England, who had over seven thousand of our citizens pressed 
into her naval service, compelled to fight against their brothers and 
fathers, or be stricken down at the guns they were ordered to work, and 
no opportunity afforded them to be released, under a solemn treaty, 
by proving themselves citizens of the United States. She had thou¬ 
sands of troops, fresh from the victorious battle field, and a navy that 
claimed to be mistress of the seas. She seemed prepared and deter¬ 
mined to crush us by one bold stroke, and reduce us to a vassalage 
more cruel than that which existed before the revolution. She had the 
warm sympathies of the crowned heads of Europe, and the prayers of 
her church for success. The issue was one of great moment— liberty , 
slavery —our motto liberty or death. Then it was that the soldiers now 
here assembled, and thousands who fell on the battle field, breasted the 
storm of iron hail that burst upon our beloved country. Then it was 
that the sons of freemen, sons of the patriots of the revolution, who had 
transmitted the precious boon of liberty to them, proved themselves 
worthy of their noble sires, and gallantly defended the sacred trust. To 
our own beloved country this was truly the second war of independ¬ 
ence, and placed her on a basis that commands the respect and admi¬ 
ration of the world. Its successful termination laid the foundation of 
our present greatness, which, in point of time and gigantic improve¬ 
ments, has no parallel in the history of the world. Had we failed, and 
again become the vassals of old mother Britain, press gangs would now 
be in our midst, forcing our sons to the allied army in the Crimea, 
filling our land with widows and orphans, and taxes increased to support 
the towering ambition of British lords. 

In the face of these brief facts, where is the member of Congress 
who can, for a single moment, hesitate to advocate and vote for the 
bounty land bill? If any, let him go with me to the battle field of the 
north and northwest, and look at the still visible remains of the bones 
of some of the noblest sons of our then insulted country. Were it in 
my power, I would breathe the breath of life into these bones, and 
clothe them in angel forms, and, in a voice that would melt the nether 
mill stone, they should ask this member, why do you, how can you delay 
justice to the old soldier whose valor placed you in your comfortable 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


39 


seat in Congress? If this did not reach his heart and awaken his sym¬ 
pathy, I would take him to the bed-side of old soldiers, who are this 
moment languishing on pallets of straw, without the means of purchas¬ 
ing a pound of corn meal to support their sinking frames, once vigorous 
and active in the defence of liberty, and they should ask him why has 
justice been so long delayed to the old soldier who saved your country 
from ignominy and a cruel bondage? If he was still unmoved, I would 
introduce him to the widows and orphans of those who poured out their 
life stream to secure our independence, and are now pierced with the 
keen arrows of adversity; who, with all the tenderness of woman, 
should ask him: Why, O, why do you withhold justice from us, who 
are wasting away for the want of the small pittance which justice has 
awarded to us more than forty years ago ? I fondly hope no one, cre¬ 
ated after the image of God, could withstand these appeals, and oppose 
'or vote against the bounty land bill in favor of the old soldier, the hardy 
tar, their Widows and orphans. The subject is not one to be argued; 
it is a plain matter of fact question between debtor and creditor, and 
should be placed above all land bills now before Congress. But for 
the soldiers of the war of 1812, we would have had no public domain, 
no free and independent Congress, no Republic, no Freedom, no Lib¬ 
erty. No bill has ever been before Congress as popular among the 
people, no one can be passed that will relieve as much distress, and 
carry joy to as many hearts by its prompt and unanimous passage. 
We are too old to be benefitted by a homestead bill, as all know. We 
sealed the title deed to this land with our blood; let it not be withheld 
from us any longer, even if it takes every acre. Our claims are above 
all others. Let justice be done—the stigma of kings that “republics 
are ungrateful,” be wiped out, our government honored, and our rights 
fully recognized. Justice and gratitude will then meet. 

Mr. McLearen, of Virginia, addressed the convention as follows : 

Mr. President, gentlemen soldiers of the war of 1812, and veterans 
of any other war to sustain the honor of our flag and the glory ol our 
arms : 

A call having been made by a member in the convention for Vir¬ 
ginia to send forth a voice through her sons to the world of the estima¬ 
tion in which she holds the intention and purposes for which we have 
here convened, &c., and an immediate response to that call not having 
been made, the same voice, requesting her sons to overcome that 
modesty which seemed to govern them here, to which he paid so high 
a compliment, I rise, and, first tendering my thanks to that gentleman 
for his solicitude for the Virginia delegation, will next proceed to re¬ 
spond to the call to the utmost of the small insignificant ability with 
which God, in his goodness, has blessed me. 

Gentlemen, the sons of Virginia possess, in an eminent degree, the 
quality termed modesty. They possess, also, all other qualities neces¬ 
sary, in connexion with that, to enable them to adorn every profession 
in which they may engage; and, when warmed by calls to exert them¬ 
selves in legislative halls or on the battle field, will contend and con¬ 
test—yea, talk and fight forever, and, if they could get a little more 
time, a day longer. 


40 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


Mr. President, I will now, before I may be overcome by some cause 
to induce forgetfulness, proceed, in compliance with the request of the 
convention for the several delegations here assembled to impart to the 
secretaries such knowledge of their whereabouts as will enable them 
hereafter, should it be necessary to correspond, to state for their infor¬ 
mation that I am a delegate sent by the veterans of the war of 1812, 
who convened at Morrissville, Fauquier county, Virginia, on the 16th 
December, 3854, simultaneously, as I now perceive, with a general 
movement of the veterans all over the country, and of which, until 
now, I had conceived ourselves to have been the original movers. 

The proceedings of that meeting, properly authenticated, were trans¬ 
mitted to the editors of the newspapers in the town of Warrenton, with 
a request to publish them, and for all papers friendly to the rights and 
interests of the soldiers to copy. I regret to say, that from some cause 
up to this time I have not received a copy of such publication. 

According to previous notice given by me of time and plabe, there 
met at Morrissville, from Fauquier, Culpepper, and Stafford, eighty of 
those monuments of their country’s fame, either in their own persons 
or were represented, if dead, by their widows and orphans, and, by 
acclamation, elected me for the second time their captain, and dele¬ 
gated me to represent them here ; and I feel happy in saying, Mr. 
President, that it is with infinite pleasure, under the circumstances, 
that I take charge of this venerable, this amiable, this glorious company. 
Amiable, did I say ? Yes, permit me to repeat it; and why ? Because, 
gentlemen, at least one-third of the number consists of the widows of 
those slain in battle, died suddenly in camp, or lingering and slowly at 
home a few weeks, months, or years after their return. 

Gentlemen, I perilled my all for them in the hour of danger, and 
now, if need be, I will sacrifice all that I have to aid them in this their 
hour of need. 

Many of their husbands were called into service at the season of the 
year that prevented their planting their crops. Their little property 
they were compelled to pledge for a scanty, coarse subsistence for 
their families during their absence, and to whom many of them never 
returned. All, in consequence, was lost, and oh! how painful and 
mortifying the tale, but it is true, and must be told. 

These widows thus bereaved—these widows of the men who fell in 
aiding to stamp the seal of imperishable glory upon the history of the 
country of the citizen soldier, in a hopeless and helpless state of desti¬ 
tution have been driven by necessity to accept the sensitive, soul- 
killing, heart-rending boon of a county provision in the poor-house. 

Oh ! that my head were waters, and that mine eye (for I have but 
one) was a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night until I could 
wash out even the remembrance of the word ingratitude, written with 
tears upon the sills of the poor-house against my beloved country. 

Since we have met here, Mr. President, especially since our visit to 
and reception by his excellency the President of the United States, I 
feel the hope revive that had been almost swallowed up in despair, 
that a grateful country will no longer indulge a cold, morbid insensibility 
to our claims for services rendered, and withhold longer from the en¬ 
joyment of her defenders the fruits of their labors. 



THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


41 


We all remember, gentlemen, that previous to the war of 1812, the 
complaints of Mr. Jefferson that Great Britain and France had turned 
pirates, and, by virtue of their unjust Berlin and Milan decrees and 
orders in council, our seamen were impressed, our merchant vessels 
robbed and pillaged, nay our commerce swept from the ocean into the 
treasuries of crowned-headed tyrants, who conceived that they, by the 
grace of God, inherited the right to plunder the world with impunity. 

Well, Mr. President, we determined, cost what it might, that we 
would trade off' a few of our Yankee notions, and, in pursuance of 
this right, resisted. War commenced. 

Well, sir, you remember with what contempt the British people 
spoke of our navy—Yankee cockboats ; and of our army, as a parcel 
of beardless boys untrained to arms. 

Well, sir, we met, we measured our strength, and what said they then? 
x Why, sir, they said they’d be damned if these cockboats weren’t 
seventy-fours in disguise, and these beardless boys, ah! oh! hem! haP 
O, yes, ah ! why they were just, O, yes! bone of the same bone, and 
hadn’t at all degenerated. 

Well, sir, have you heard any complaint since of the impressment 
of seamen ? No, sir. Anything more about vexatious search or piratical 
pillage? No, sir. 

Our commerce now floats under cover of the stars and stripes to- 
every port on the habitable globe, respected and unmolested. Our 
national treasury is thereby filled to overflowing. Our national domain 
increased, limited almost only by the oceans. Why, then, cannot the 
veterans, whose privations, sacrifices, and sufferings that have produced 
such glorious results, have donated to them a little homestead upon our 
national domain, a little money from the treasury to enable them to go- 
and settle upon it; there halt their probationary march, refresh them¬ 
selves a little, receive the watch word and countersign at the portals 
of death, and enter upon the line of march approximating nearer and 
nearer to God himself, which will end only by its termination in him. 

The following resolutions were received from the Senate of the 
United States: 


In Senate of the United States, January 9, 1855. 

Resolved , That the officers and soldiers of the war of 1812, now 
holding a convention in this city, be invited to occupy seats upon the 
floor of the Senate, without the bar, during the sitting of such conven¬ 
tion. 

Resolved , That the Secretary of the Senate communicate a copy of 
this resolution to the president of the convention for the information of 
the members. 

Attest: ASBURY DICKINS, 

Secretary. 

General Machin, of New York, offered the following resolution, 
(Judge Porter, of Pennsylvania, being in the chair:) 

Resolved , That this convention tenders its cordial thanks to Colonel 
Joel B. Sutherland, its President, for the satisfactory manner in which 


42 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


he has presided over its deliberations, and for his early, constant, and 
untiring efforts in the cause of the soldiers of the war of 1812. 

Which being unanimously adopted, Colonel Sutherland responded as 
follows: 

When I cast my eye over this convention, my mind irresistibly runs 
back to the history and incidents of the war in which all of us were 
engaged. It was a right glorious war, fought with very indifferent arms 
with a diminutive fleet, with a badly supplied treasury, but by as gal¬ 
lant a body of men as ever faced an enemy. It is now about forty-three 
years since a heroic Congress, filled with men of elevated patriotism, 
and of most eminent abilities, in this city, issued the declaration of war 
against Great Britain. The intelligence of this great event soon found 
its way to the extreme boundaries of the republic. Everywhere men 
began to buckle on their military armor for the fight. It is true some 
of our people doubted the policy of this belligerent movement. But 
the great mass of the freemen of the country flew to arms. When this 
martial summons reached the ears of the members of this convention we 
all bore upon our cheeks the bloom of youth, united with the strong arm of 
sturdy manhood, and an iron purpose, to defend the nation’s honor at 
every hazard. We did not pause and listen to the treasonable speeches 
of some of the opponents of Mr. Madison’s war, who questioned its 
justice. 

At first some doubts were entertained as to the propriety of sending 
our six frigates to sea, “ fir-built frigates,” as the British sneeringly 
called them. But our gallant naval officers Hull, Stewart, Rogers, 
Bainbridge, Decatur, Lawrence, Morris, Porter, and others, could not 
be “detained in port.” 

It was a bold venture to quit our shores, but a most successful one 
for the country. Our enemy, with her hundred vessels of war, could 
not keep them clustering together. Hence our frigates went forth alone 
to meet, if possible, some vessel of the same size and metal, to test their 
powers in a fair fight, ship to ship. In a short time Hull’s victory reached 
our shores. The whole nation, as the news spread, united in sending up 
to heaven its thanks for the success of our stars and stripes. This was 
the first lesson that England had been taught by American tars, and she 
fondly hoped it would be the last. 

But the tide of victory ran so strongly in that direction, that triumph 
after triumph gave constantly increasing lustre to our naval prowess. 
Proud England was amazed at such prodigious disasters. To give, 
however, a deadly thrust at English presumption, our navy fought two 
battles; one upon Lake Erie, under the command of Perry, and the 
other upon Lake Champlain, under the command of McDonough, when, 
fieet to fleet, a seal was set upon British supremacy forever. The other 
nations of Europe saw England humbled upon the high seas in wonder, 
and well remember by whom. 

On the land, too, without recapitulating the particulars of the daring 
deeds of our soldiers, it is sufficient to say we closed the war with an 
unfading halo upon our arms. 

Bes «fes winning triumphs, the war prepared for future service , if re¬ 
quired, not only the bravest of soldiers, but the most distinguished offi- 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


43 


cers to lead them to the battle-field; all right well known to England; 
each of them having written his history amid the roar of artillery and 
the bloody conflict of lighter arms. 

The personal acquaintance of the British with our irresistible style 
of assault and invincibility in defence has kept that nation on terms of 
amity ever since. 

It is true a body of English troops marched hither, and, like 
incendiaries, fired our capital and consumed to ashes many of our 
most valuable national archives—a deed of infamy that has consigned 
the men who were engaged in it, and those who justified it, to the 
withering scorn and undying contempt of an intelligent posterity. The 
British officers, regardless of the first principles of military honor, rifled 
the presidential mansion; but our soldiers at Baltimore and New Or¬ 
leans, in turn, rifled them most effectually. The city of Washington 
. contained about eight thousand men, women, and children, when the 
enemy left their shipping to attack it. 

At that date it was little better than a village, as to the amount of 
its population. 

Its capture was, therefore, not an achievement that our enemy could 
justly consider an honorable triumph. 

But these marauders not only perpetrated these lawless acts, but 
their leader enquired, where that distinguished advocate of the war, 
the National Intelligencer, was printed, and, on discovering it, entered 
the building and scattered its type in the public streets. It is true the 
democratic papers of that day most manfully supported the war. 
There were then ontyfour or five of such daily papers in the whole coun¬ 
try : the National Intelligencer edited by Messrs. Gales and Seaton, 
the Aurora by Colonel William Duane, and the Democratic Press by 
Colonel John Binns, both published in the city of Philadelphia; and 
one paper in Boston, and another in the city of New York. The Rich¬ 
mond Inquirer was also an ardent advocate of the then democratic 
cause. To us who participated in that great struggle with the British, 
the inestimable value of the press of that day is fully known and justly 
appreciated. 

I will not delay this assembly, therefore, with a recital of the names 
of those editors who rowed against the swelling tide of our war or who 
did not join vigorously in its support. My object being mainly to award 
a proper share of praise to the gallant pressmen, who never looked 
back during the whole of that fight. The press, when fearless and 
able, is just as essential in conducting a successful war, as the armed 
soldiers themselves. Their conductors urge on the battle with their 
cheers, and afterwards sit in judgment when the laurels are to be 
awarded to those who have won them. They were, truly, part and 
parcel of the army, and ought so to be considered by the government. 

I decline following this topic further, and shall only ask those who 
now hold the public affairs in their hands to glance at the condition of 
the men of 1812 when hostilities ceased between this country and 
Great Britain. It will be remembered that the whole business of the 
nation had been broken up by the war. We had no commerce with 
foreign governments, nor any coasting trade among the States. A 
burning and a ravaging enemy had blockaded our whole seaboard, and 



44 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


the very few that had been spared to carry on manufactures while the 
other citizens were in camp became insolvent upon the return of peace. 
This is but a faint picture of the disastrous effects of the war upon the 
money relations of the community. The government had been stagger¬ 
ing under its heavy loans; treasury notes were at a considerable dis¬ 
count, and yet the officers and men were compelled to take such depre¬ 
ciated funds for their services or go unpaid. Many thousand volun¬ 
teers returned home and remained unpaid for many months after the 
proclamation of peace, and when paid had to accept this debased 
standard of treasury money at par. 

The officers and soldiers of that war may be said in all verity to 
have never been fully paid. The United States, upon the single item 
of treasury notes, stands deeply indebted to them at this day. 

It is, therefore, neither out of time nor place for those who took part 
in the second war of independence to assemble and commune together 
upon the past, and revive some of the facts connected with that epoch 
that otherwise might be wholly forgotten. The history of the men of 
the war of 1812 and their fearless advocacy of the great measures of 
the government at that time will be read with increasing interest by 
those who shall come after us. And in reading, it will be seen that 
although they had neither gold nor silver to lavish upon stately edi¬ 
fices, and consequently to live in the luxurious style of the present genera¬ 
tion, though the debt of that war upon the country was immense, yet 
the men of 1812 counted themselves rich, very rich indeed, in the 
splendid results of the war. They had achieved the highest renown 
among the nations of the £arth, bewildering foreign governments and 
almost astonishing their own. It was also readily perceived that a 
prolonged peace would be a golden result of the contest. 

On looking back we are struck with the constant flood of prosperity 
that has been following in our train since hostilities ceased between 
America and England. So much so, that the champions of the war 
have lived to witness the complete extinguishment of the vast debt 
contracted for its support, and have themselves delivered the country 
over to the present generation free from every pecuniary embarrassment. 
A body of veterans who have done all this, may justly ask of those 
who attempt to tread in their footsteps to show themselves altogether 
worthy of their ancestry. 

I deemed it right thus far to notice some of the leading events of the 
war of 1812, and will now close by tendering you, gentlemen, individu¬ 
ally, my sincere thanks for the distinguished honor you have conferred 
upon me, by inviting me to preside over your deliberations. And as 
you will shortly meet those who, from wounds received, ill health, 
distance from our place of meeting, or extreme poverty, could not join 
us here to-day, say to them, that we have not forgotten them, but 
that we came to Washington rather for them than ourselves. Say to 
the widows of our deceased brothers whose prayers are with us on this 
occasion, to be of good cheer ; tell them that we have carefully watched 
over their interests, and that besides pressing their claim upon the 
justice of the nation for bounty land, that we have asked pensions lor 
them, to alleviate the weariness and weakness of their declining years. 
This will not only gladden their hearts, but those of their children, who 



THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 


45 


are waiting anxiously to hear that the services of their fathers still 
live in the recollections of a grateful country. You can add further, 
that “ the United Brethren of the warofl8i2,” as we will hereafter 
be known, will re-assemble here on the next anniversary of the battle 
of New Orleans, that we trust that all who can will come up hither 
and join in that glorious jubilee. 

We stand pledged to a good cause. It is our country’s. God 
prosper the cause ! Oh, it cannot but thrive whilst the pulse of one 
patriot heart is alive. Its devotion to feel or its rights to maintain. 

The following resolutions were then unanimously adopted: 

Resolved, That this convention takes great pleasure in thanking the 
railroad companies in the State of Pennsylvania for their very generous 
and liberal treatment of the men of the war of 1812, in permitting 
them to pass free of charge over their roads to this convention. 

Resolved, That when this convention adjourn, it adjourn to meet in 
the city of Washington, D. C., on the 8th of January, 1856. 

Resolved , That this Convention returns its thanks to the Senate of the 
United States lor the kind and complimentary invitation tendered in 
the foregoing resolution, and that they accept the same with pleasure. 

Resolved, That the thanks of this convention are hereby tendered to 
President Pierce, for his kind and hospitable reception on yesterday, 
and that the president of this body be requested to communicate the 
same to him. 

Resolved, That we tender our thanks to the “war press” of 1812, foi 
the able, efficient, and patriotic manner in which they sustained us in 
that memorable contest. 

Resolved, That the thanks of this convention are hereby tendered to 
the secretaries and reporters for the efficient manner in which they 
have discharged their respective duties. 

On motion the convention took a recess to accept the invitation of 
the Senate of the United States, having previously agreed to visit 
Mount Vernon as a body on Wednesday, January 10. Upon the ad¬ 
journment, the Rev. Dr. Westbrook made the following prayer: 

Thou hearer of prayer, we heartily thank thee for thy gracious 
answer to our humble supplications. Thou hast been in the midst of 
us with thy great power. Our hearts have burned within us. We 
have felt as" Christian patriots should feel on such an occasion. We 
have been renewing our youth like the eagles. We feel as if we could 
run and not be weary—as if we could walk and not faint. We thank 
thee for the favor vouchsafed us by God and by our country. In the 
closing deliberations of this council of elders, may there be nothing 
enacted to exert a sinking over our steps that thus far have been firm, 
or over our feelings that have been almost ecstatic. Hold us up to the 
end of our meetings. Cover us in our return to our homes with the 
goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush, and greet our families and 
children with glad tidings from this great centre of a nation’s power 
and a nation’s gratitude. O save us from the great calamity which 
Agur, thy seer of old, deprecated. O save us from poverty, lest we 
be poor and steal. O save our beloved country from the sin of that 
ingratitude of suffering her defenders from a calamity, equalled only 
by that of being compelled to flee before the enemy, the calamity of 


46 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


going down to the grave neglected and abandoned, by receiving the 
burial of a pauper. Thou great Father of mercies, if such should hap¬ 
pen to be the close of our earthly career to any one of us, of our fellow 
soldiers, O do not lay this sin to the charge of our beloved country, but 
blot it out with the tear of the angel of mercy, for the great Redeemer’s 
sake. Amen. 

Amen, Amen, responded the whole assembly. 

January 10. 

Agreeably to previous arrangements, the delegates in a body visited 
Mount Vernon. They were received with great courtesy by Mrs. 
Washington, (her husband being absent,) and after assembling around 
the cemetery, Colonel Sutherland, president of the convention, deliver¬ 
ed the following address: 

“Look where we may, we Americans cannot discover a spot so 
hallowed as this sacred shrine, where are garnered up the ashes of our 
beloved Washington. Around this, his sepulchre, we therefore assem¬ 
ble and most reverently bow the knee in token of our admiration of 
his spotless character. He was a Soldier , a Statesman , and a Christian . 
His history proves that the Almighty gave him to America to make us 
free. 

4 This is manifested in the watchings of Providence over him, as well 
when the Indian levelled his rifle at his heart and, firing, failed to kill 
him, as during the after-scenes in the bloody drama of the revolution, 
when he was shielded from every harm. And, still further to indicate 
that our future existence as a people was largely to depend upon the 
Father of our Country, we find the course of events so moulded as 
that, after leading our army to victory, he was chosen to preside over 
the deliberations of the convention that framed our Constitution. With 
his unequalled name to that glorious instrument that binds the States 
together, we may confidently trust that they will never be sundered. 

“Who can witness the holy reverence and deep emotions of this as¬ 
semblage of the descendants of the men of ’76, at this resting-place of 
the great and the good, without believing that every other American, 
though not present with us, bears just as ardent a love for our country 
as we do ourselves? 

“These States will never break the links of holy concord that hold 
them together as long as this tomb can be found by those who shall 
succeed us. 

“The lesson to be gathered from our pilgrimage here will be long 
remembered. Thousands will annually follow our example, and tread¬ 
ing in our footsteps, will come up hither. Every father throughout the 
whole land will at least once, repair to this repository of the mighty 
dead. Nay, more, he will bring with him his children, when of proper 
age, and here, in the face of heaven and these venerated relics, pledge 
them to stand by the holy brotherhood of States. 

“ Our mission is a progressive wonder. The voice of the first pilgrim 
who had landed upon our shores, breathing liberty in its sweet tones, 
has been echoing from that time till now over the hills and valleys, lakes 
and rivers, mountains and plains of this our almost boundless country. 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812. 47 

It has reached from the Atlantic far, far away, even climbing that vast 
rocky barrier betwixt us and the wide spreading Pacific. 

“ Our language, too, is the language of freedom. The nations that use 
it are either free or on the high-road towards the full enjoyment of free¬ 
dom. What may we therefore not expect in the advancing march of 
our America, the very Eden of the world! 

“We see at a glance, in our brilliant and happy career, the most 
marked demonstrations that we have a heavenly star to light up our 
onward course. God in his Providence has reared His Christian stan¬ 
dard of liberty in all parts of our territory, has given us school-houses 
and religious temples devoted to his service, making our people a terror 
to evil doers and a praise to them that do well. 

“ With such a wealth of promises surrounding us on all sides, we 
will not permit ourselves to be disturbed about our national destiny, for 
we are satisfied that ‘our Union’ is in the safe keeping of a power 
that will preserve it sure and steadfast, even as ‘the everlasting hills.’ 

“ The followers of Mahomet have their Mecca, we our ‘ Mount Vernon.’ 
In the flight of winged time, other nations, snatching fire from our altars 
of liberty, may come hither and pay homage at this mausoleum of 
human greatness. Indeed, I think I see the gathering throng of the 
coming future preparing for their march.” 

When Judge Sutherland had concluded, an impressive prayer was 
offered up by the Rev. Mr. Westbrook, of New York, one of the dele¬ 
gates ; and then an address by Peter Wilson, one of the Indian dele¬ 
gates and a sachem of the Oneidas. Mr. W. is said to be a graduate 
of Yale College. He spoke of the great F ather Washington, was proud 
of his native country, and desired that the Indians who stood by us in. 
the war of 1812 should never be forgotten by the government. 

After the conclusion of the address, the following— 

Prayer at the tomb of Washington was offered by the Rev. Dr. Westbrook,. 

of New York: 

Oh! Thou great God, the almighty Saviour of the quick and the 
dead, look down upon the representatives of the mighty dead, who- 
sleeps here in his bed of earthly glory. Remember us, and those who 
have accompanied us to this sacred spot, in thy tender mercy; help- 
us to listen to the still and solemn voice that issues from this silent 
tomb. Help us all to feel the weight of that high obligation under which 
we and our country, now and evermore, should gratefully acknowledge 
for the gift and deeds of him, the captain of the hosts of freedom, in the 
battle of the Lord against the mighty foe of the American Israel. Our 
devotion here is not idolatrous. He was thine annointed one in the 
cause of human emancipation. We bless thee for all he has done, 
and left as the rich inheritance to us and our children and children’s* 
children. The Father of his Country lived, and so lived as to have it 
to say with David, the captain of thine Israel of old—“Blessed be the^ 
Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers" 
to fight; my goodness and my fortress; my high tower and my de¬ 
liverer; my shield and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people 
under me.” The genius of war and of battle—the spirit of knowledge 


48 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


and the fear of the Lord—the spirit of counsel and of might that 
abounded in him—were all the communications of thine eternal spirit; 
all these blessings, making us all rich indeed, are the streams issuing 
from the blood of him who loved us, and gave himself for the sins of 
the people; whose birth was the rising of the star of liberty upon this 
benighted and enslaved world of ours; whose mission, when fully 
accomplished here, will break off the fetters of despotism—break the 
rod of the oppressor. Then thy kingdom shall have come in all thy 
power and glory; thy will shall be done here on earth, as it is done in 
heaven—not because it is commanded, but because mankind shall feel 
their delight and glory in doing the will of God, their heavenly father 
We rejoice that love will then, in every sense of the word, be the 
fulfilling of the law. “Even so; come quickly, thou mighty deliverer.” 

Guard, thou great watcher of Israel, this hallowed spot; watch 
over these grounds and lawns and forests, and this decaying mansion, 
where once lived the beloved one, embalmed in the hearts of his 
countrymen and all the lovers of humanity. May the earthly guardians 
of these holy relics be blessed for the sake of our father and their 
father—our friend and their friend. May they always be ready to 
receive the pilgrims, especially the aged pilgrims, to this endeared 
shrine, in the name of him whom we love to remember as the man 
“First in war , first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen .” 
Help us to carry back with us the spirit of that man. May his mantle 
fall upon all his successors, both in the councils of the nation and in 
the field of battle; may this little stone, cut out of the mountains with¬ 
out hand, become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. May the 
institutions of this government, diverse from all the governments of 
earth, be extended to all nations; for thine is the kingdom, and the 
glory, and the power, for ever and ever—Amen. 

Amen and Amen, all the assembly responded. 

General Combs' farewell address to the old soldiers of the 8 th of January 

Convention , after their return from a visit to Mount Vernon , January 10, 

1855, in front of the National Hotel. 

After the President of the convention had announced their final ad¬ 
journment till next 8th of January, 

General Combs said: 

Fellow soldiers: A word or two before we part, as we may never 
meet again on earth. My heart is full of gratitude to providence for 
having preserved you all in health while you have been in this metro¬ 
polis of the nation. Indeed, we have been specially favored in all 
things, for there are no accidents on earth or elsewhere. On Sunday 
last and Sunday night it rained, and even up to 10 o’clock on Monday, 
the clouds were hanging over us, and yet, at 12 o’clock, the sun was 
shining brilliantly above our heads, and the air was soft and sweet, 
while we were marching along Pennsylvania avenue, through throng¬ 
ing but respectful crowds of our fellow citizens, to pay our respects to 
the chief magistrate of the nation. Then again,,it rained all night, and 
so continued wet and gloomy all day yesterday, while we were in 
session, under cover. To-day we have made our pilgrimage to the 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


49 


tomb of Washington, and the glorious god of day has again shone forth 
in his greatest splendor. We have had our feet on holy ground ; such 
were my feelings at the time, and so, I doubt, not, were yours. 

The same omnipotent being that took Washington by the hand, and 
led him on from deed to deed of glory, until it placed him on a pinnacle 
of fame for all future time, broad as the Alleghany, and high as the- 
Rocky mountains, still governs the world, and watches over you and I, 
humble as we are. Our fathers achieved our liberty and established 
our wonderful though simple form of government, our glorious Union . 
We aided as far as in our power, during the last war with England, to 
preserve and hand down to our children the priceless heritage received 
from them. Does any one of you repent what he has done? Does 
any one of you desire to see this Union severed, and with that sever¬ 
ance bloody wars, ending in despotism? If there be one such, let him 
raise his hand. Thank God, not one traitorous hand is here. [Great 
applause, in which the whole crowd united.] 

We will now return home to our wives and children, telling them of 
the new pledges we have given to each other, and enjoin it upon one 
and all of' them to imitate our example, and swear to stand by each 
other, and by our glorious star-spangled banner while they live. [Ap¬ 
plause.] And as long as yon rolling sun shall continue to illuminate 
the heavens and the earth, giving us fruitful seasons and genial air and 
life and light, may that noble flag of our country float, as it now does, 
over a free, united and happy nation. [Great applause.] God bless 
you all, and guide you on your homeward journey and throughout life, 
as he has heretofore done. 

With hearty shaking of hands and many a silent tear, the old vete¬ 
rans took leave of each other and separated. 

Sabbath evening, February 11th, Rev. Byron Sunderland, pastor 
of the Four-and-a-half street Presbyterian church, delivered an able 
and interesting discourse from xi Timothy, 2, 3. “ Thou therefore 

endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” In illustration of 
his subject, the speaker made the following allusion to the convention 
which had been recently held in the church of which he is the pastor: 

“ Let me, in the outset, draw force from a recent scene which oc¬ 
curred just in this house, under the eye of your own observation. I 
refer to the 8th of January, and the convention then assembled here. 
Such a spectacle perhaps was never witnessed in any other country, 
nor ever before in our own. Fifteen hundred men from nineteen States 
of this Union, and correspondence from all the States and most of the 
Territories, furnishing also representatives from all the races—white, 
black, and red—who had once taken a common part; with a man for 
every rank, station, lineage, or patronymic derivation; for all churches, 
all creeds, all professions, all pursuits, all conditions—more than forty 
years ago standing side by side in one cause—victorious in that cause 
1—long scattered—now many for the first lime coming together—all 
grey-headed, having outlived their own generation, yet most of them 
with unwonted vigor; not altogether broken down—covered with 
scars, yet fire kindling as ever in the eye; full of honors—on whom 
all looked with reverence; surrounded by the metropolitan throng, 
Mis. Doc. 18-4 


50 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


whose thousands of hearts beat warmly towards them, and felt honored 
in that tribute, thinking them worthy fathers—awarding all posterity 
can award of the virtue which cannot die—all that can live in history 
—all that can breathe in song—all that a nation lias to bestow—in the 
respect and gratitude of millions to their sires. 

They had come here from scenes whileom in other days long gone 
by—come from places consecrated by the historic muse. The lakes 
and rivers, ocean’s main, and many a town and mountain gorge, and 
the woods pathless, save where the wigwam smoked, all through the 
land, in storm and cold, in summer’s heat, hungry, half clad, thinking 
of multitudinous things and feeling the press of more; all these they had 
passed, and gloriously passed, survived all, and stood up at this late 
day to see and speak once more in their own land. 

They had come from a field where great questions were at stake, the 
price of freedom, a nation’s honor, and the sanctity of treaties, and the 
still more sacred prowess of a power on earth ; from a field where the 
second testament of independence was written as was the first, by their 
fathers before them, written in blood and battle, written a nicl all the 
signs of heaven and all the fearful miracles of earth, but written so that 
the old world against them was bound to keep the peace, and has with 
them and their children since. 

They had come from many companions, groves and forts, and bar¬ 
racks now crumbling, and bloody battle fields, where groans arose, 
and tears fell, and many women trembled at the pale ghost of death, 
where the testament was written in the agony of mortal hours, in sweat 
and death, damps and gaping wounds, where females shuddered, and 
men grew stark, and murderous weapons, fire, sack, pillage and bar¬ 
barities untold, traced out the grizzly phantom of their war. 

They had come bearing the more infirm of those who linger on the 
shore of time, too poor, too weak, too aged, too crippled to perform the 
route of the tribes to the Federal Capital, leaving also many widows, 
fatherless children and families scattered in every State, on whom the 
father’s sacrifice fell heavily all their lives, leaving these behind to 
speak for them while they prayed. 

But they had come to exchange their greetings once more before they 
go hence; come to see their country in her pride, her living millions 
and her vast extent, come to the governmental heart, to the temple of 
all the tribes, to see these monuments, to speak with men in power, to 
salute the assembled Congress and the chief magistrate, and all that 
would them salute, which was indeed all. 

They had come to think and talk of the by-gone, in which now they 
live a double life, living all over with prayers and tears, and many 
memories; and also in their children, their successors and their hopes. 
They had come to visit the tomb of the first chief, and strike their 
hands in prayer, as they stood at Vernon, in the presence of the illus¬ 
trious dead. There were deep yearnings there, and the hearts grew 
warm, and the tears fell over the carved and wrinkled cheek. Oh, 
how large grows the soul at such a time, with thoughts it cannot speak, 
and sentiments and passions swell the heart, full and round as the 
world, wide as the past, majestic as the present, unutterably large as 
the future is ; and as they went up and down these streets, or whersoever 



THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


51 


they gathered to deliberate, there was a stream of living tenderness for 
them; all paid them homage, despite the infirmities of age; and how¬ 
ever they stood with God, there was a human sanctity with them while 
they remained. The places where they lodged had a reverend pres¬ 
ence, and none would tempt them with what is riotous. I am told 
they were universally abstemious, stern, brave old men; too stern in for¬ 
mer years for foreign foes, and now in ripe old age, too stern for the 
home born vice and large foe of America, intemperance, even here in its 
strong-hold. The stout and strong heard them with pleasure, women 
melted at their sight, and the little children opened their strange, won¬ 
dering eyes, and asked many questions of them. So thus tarried, and 
so finally turned away, scattered once more like leaves in the blast of 
autumn, throughout all the land. They will never be so gathered again 
on earth, the men of a disbanded army, each man having done his deed 
more than forty years ago—a deed by which the county lives. Their 
lives have passed into the nation’s vital currents; the limbs of the 
young giant are warm with their vigor and their blood. He bears the 
marks of fatherhood, and they have lived to see him move among the 
great powers. They will die soon, all that is mortal, but the genius of 
these men can never die. Their war, their sentiments, their example, 
their influence, their character, the historic vigor of such a generation, 
gathered like a stream from all the mountains of the past, and flowing 
into the future forever, deeper, wider, rqore in force and volume, in 
strength and majesty of sweep; no, these shall never die. They com¬ 
pleted what the earlier fathers had begun. They were to the revolu¬ 
tion what the Evangelists were to Moses—they cut the continent 
entirely loose from the types and shadows of the old world, and from 
that hour the destiny of mankind passed under a new and another dis¬ 
pensation. 


52 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


APPENDIX. 


A large number of letters, containing interesting incidents ol the war 
of 1812, breathing a spirit of patriotism and devotion to our common 
country, and sympathizing with all the efforts being made in behalf of 
its defenders, were received and read before the convention. It has 
been found impracticable to publish all of them, and the following have 
therefore been selected as expressing the sentiments and desires ex¬ 
pressed by all. 


Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 

January 15, 1855. 

My Dear Sir: At the repeated request of a number of the delegates, 
of which I was one all the time, at the National Convention of Soldiers 
of the war of 1812, convened in Washington city, D. C., on the 8th 
instant, I here below give you a brief account of the suffering of some 
of them that came within the view of my own eye and knowledge in 
that war, and I have only to regret that the limits of this statement 
necessarily exclude many important incidents which took place during 
that time. Should this statement appear too long for publication with 
the proceedings of our convention, you can make such extracts from it 
as you may think proper. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

W. FOULK. 

J. P. Dickinson, Esq., 

Washington City , D. C. 

In March, 1812, I received the appointment of first lieutenant of in¬ 
fantry in the United States army, and was attached to the 16th regi¬ 
ment of that corps, under command of Colonel C. Pearce, and imme¬ 
diately entered on the recruiting service at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 
Soon after a new arrangement took place, and I was assigned to the 
22d regiment, under Colonel H. Brady, and continued on the same 
service until March, 1813, when I, with two companies under com¬ 
mand of Captain J. Pentland, marched (for there was then no railroads 
or steamboats) to the Lazarretto barracks, a few miles below Philadel¬ 
phia, where we remained about one month, when we again took up 
the line of march, under the command of Major Robert Carr, and pro¬ 
ceeded up the Delaware river to Trenton, thence to the Raritan river, 
which we descended, and by the bay reached New York, passing in 
sight of British vessels-of-war at anchor, blockading the port. We 
then went up the North river on board small vessels to Albany, from 
whence we commenced, and, at a forced march, reached Sackett’s 




THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


53 


Harbor a few days after an attack had been made on that place by the 
British. Here we encamped on the field of battle, on top of the half- 
buried dead; so slightly were they buried, that we had to re-cover 
them to keep the stench down. However, we did not remain there 
long, but were hurried on to Fort Oswego, at the town of Oswego, at 
which place the enemy were daily expected. Having arrived there, 
we went into some old buildings in the fort, the first we had been in 
since leaving Carlisle. 

Fort Oswego was an old French fort, very much dilapidated, conse¬ 
quently all hands were put to work to prepare for the enemy, whose 
fleet, a few days after our arrival, hove in sight, and bore down for the 
place, evidently with the expectation of landing without opposition. 
But in this they were mistaken, for so soon as they got within range of 
our guns we let them have it, which was warmly returned by broad¬ 
side after broadside, and thus the bombarding and reply were kept up 
until some of their vessels were disabled, when they stood away out of 
danger, and hovered about on the lake, (Ontario,) sometimes out of 
sight and sometimes in sight, for several days; we, in the meantime, 
preparing for them, and expecting them to land, were kept on the 
watch night and day for some time. Finally, when danger appeared 
to be over, we returned to Sackett’s Harbor, where I received notice of 
my promotion to captain. 

The army being then in preparation for a move, I, some time in Sep¬ 
tember, 1813, was placed at the head of a company, and proceeded 
to Grand island, near the entrance of Lake Ontario into the St. Law¬ 
rence river, where a large force, perhaps 4,000 men, under the com¬ 
mand of General Wilkinson, concentrated. Here we lay for a short 
time, when we commenced to descend that river. The weather being 
boisterous, the army was halted and landed at French creek, when, 
soon after, the British fleet hove in sight and commenced firing on us, 
which was returned by our artillery there in scows, (or kind of flat 
boats,) but our small arms could not reach them. This state of affairs 
continued perhaps two hours, when the fleet disappeared, and we re¬ 
commenced the descent of the St. Lawrence, and reached the neigh¬ 
borhood of Prescot, a fort on the Canada side. Here again, so soon as 
we got in reach of them, the enemy commenced firing upon us, doing us 
much injury, for although it was night, the moon showed them our boats, 
which were within point blank shot of their guns, consequently we, 
who had not yet got in reach of their guns, were halted and ordered to 
the shore until the moon would go down. In the meantime, every 
man that was able, and could be spared from the boats, were landed, 
to march by land out of harm’s way, while but one officer was left to 
each boat to pass the place. This done, and the moon down, our flo¬ 
tilla was again put under way, boat after boat, as it had been before; 
but now, with only a steersman, one officer, and sufficient men to pro¬ 
pel each boat, the steersman, and the officer alongside of him, standing 
on the stern deck, the others sitting below, and in this situation the fort 
was passed, though not without some being killed and others wounded 
on the way. 

Some time and distance after Prescott was passed the army halted, 
and the United States dragoons, several hundred in number, were 


54 


PROCEEDINGS OP THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


crossed over the St. Lawrence river, and at Christler’s fields a severe 
engagement took place, but this was not until part of the army was 
detached by land to burn block-houses and clear the way on the ene¬ 
my’s side of the river, in order to let the flotilla pass unmolested. The 
battle being over, and the enemy having retired, our army continued 
the descent of the river, some by land and some by water, and finally 
concentrated and encamped on Barnitz’s farm, near Cornwall, on the 
Canada side of the St. Lawrence river. Here it was expected that 
the army (then in the neighborhood) under command of General W. 
Hampton would join that under General Wilkinson, for the purpose of 
taking Montreal, then about forty miles distant. But after remaining 
here for some time, General W. received information from General H. 
that the army under his (General H.’s) command could not join his 
(General W.’s) army, alleging as a reason that it was too late in the 
season to make the expedition. General W. then with his force made 
a precipitate retreat, re-crossed the river at French mills, and, not 
having boats enough to take the dragoons all on board, an attempt was 
made to swim them across alongside the boats by haliers or bridles, 
by which operation many were drowned. 

On arriving at French mills all hands went to building huts to quar¬ 
ter in during the winter, but many of them did not get into them until 
between Christmas and new year, although the weather was exces¬ 
sively cold, with much snow on the ground, and by that time the usual 
camp disease, dysentery , was among us to an alarming degree, many 
officers and soldiers dying with the complaint, having had little other 
than hard bread, (sea biscuit,) salt pork, or beef from the time we left 
Sackett’s Harbor. 

Well, this state of affairs did not last long, for in about one month we 
set fire to our huts, and again took up the line of march for Platts burg, 
thence to Burlington, Vermont, where we, for a short time, went into 
very indifferent barracks, which we, in a few weeks, also left, and 
marched to Saint Armon, on the Missisque bay, thence back to Swan- 
town, thence to the town of Champlain, on lake Champlain, where we 
met the army from Plattsburg, concentrating under the command of 
General Wilkinson; and here, too, the army was treated to a mess of 
horseflesh , it having been drawn from the contractor some time before 
daylight, with orders to cook it and prepare for a march; the thing was 
not discovered until about daylight, when most of us had a good stom¬ 
ach full of the dainty; by this time the drum beat for the orderly ser¬ 
geants, who obeyed the summons, and immediately returned to the 
companies with the order, “ Eat no more of that meat , it is horseflesh 
Then, in a few minutes, could be seen in every direction of the camp 
men throwing up what they had eaten. This horse meat was supposed 
to be part of those drowned when crossing the St. Lawrence river to 
French Mills, as, on examination, a quantity was found in the stores of 
the contractor, who had purchased it from some countrymen, who im¬ 
mediately disappeared when the sale was made, and could not be 
found. When this flurry was over, the army, at the head of which was 
General Wilkinson, moved on to Odletown and Lacole Mills, when a 
most disastrous fight took place, and the American army was repulsed, 
and retreated to Plattsburg, Burlington, &c.; thus the fall of 1813, and 



THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 


55 


the whole of the winter of 1814, was spent in marching and counter¬ 
marching, sleeping out in the open air nearly all the time, and frequently 
on snow several feet deep, with but one blanket, half under, on two 
poles, with a cross stick for a pillow, the other half drawn over us, and 
the only thing that kept us from freezing to death was by keeping a fire 
at our feet, which fire would, sometimes in the morning, be melted down 
out of sight, in consequence of the snow being so deep. While at Bur¬ 
lington we discovered, to our sorrow, that we had traitors to watch, for 
the place was full of them ; there were patriots there also, who gave us 
the information, but our soldiers were not safe; they were fired upon in 
the dark of the night, and on one occasion one was killed, and*at 
another time two were wounded; again, on one occasion an alarm of 
lire took place, when, upon examination, a quantity of tar and other 
combustibles were discovered burning in an unfrequented and unim¬ 
proved part of the town, and which fire was kept up for some length of 
time without exciting any suspicions of evil doings, but on daylight ap¬ 
pearing the next morning, the enemy’s fleet was discovered at anchor 
on the opposite side of the lake, completely out of reach of our guns; 
soon after this a boat was discovered leaving our shore, and making for 
the fleet, when our guns fired on it, and although it was within their 
reach, yet it made its way to the fleet which, in a short time, disap¬ 
peared, they, no doubt, being informed by the boat’s crew that we were 
ready for them. Soon after this, and sometime in April, we returned to 
Plattsburg, and in the months of June and July proceeded by forced 
marches direct to the Niagara frontier, where we arrived, and crossed 
into Canada, below Queenstown heights, and joined the gallant General 
Scott’s brigade; from here we, in a few days, moved to the neighbor¬ 
hood of Fort George, which we expected to storm, but after a few days 
spent in making preparations for that duty, we returned to, and en¬ 
camped on the plains of Chippewa, the battle ground. Here, in the 
after part of the day, July 25, 1814, General Scott’s brigade was 
ordered under arms, and marched towards Fort George, and in about 
two miles from camp came in contact with the British army, then 
posted at Lundy’s Lane, and in a strong position, with a park of artil¬ 
lery on their right. We at once attacked them, when the sun was about 
one half hour of setting. By this time a messenger was sent back to 
camp to inform General Brown, the commander-in-chief, that the en¬ 
emy was there in force. The balance of the army was then paraded, 
and with General Brown at its head came to the relief of General 
Scott’s brigade, who had, in the meantime, fought the whole British 
army. When General Brown joined General Scott’s brigade, the fierce¬ 
ness of the battle then raged to desperation, and many deeds of daring 
were done, unsurpassed by any other army; and thus the battle raged 
until near midnight, when both armies left the field to the silent dead. 
The next morning told a tale never, never to be forgotten by any who 
were there. The heroic Scott s brigade, to which I had the honor to be¬ 
long, was literally cut to pieces ; from a solid line paraded the morning 
before the battle, that morning (the 28th) a squad here and a squad 
there was all that was to be seen ; and I well recollect the loss in my 
company, which was not an exception to others in the brigade. No, I 
believe every company suffered alike, but the number in my own I will 


56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

never, no, never forget. On the morning of the 25th I had one officer 
and myself, with seventy-eight men for duty ; on the morning after the 
battle only sixteen men were for duty, some being killed, some wounded, 
some taken prisoners, and some taking care of the wounded, among 
which latter were myself and lieutenant. On the morning of the 26th 
I, with other wounded, were put on board of boats, and taken up the 
Niagara river, out of danger, when we were put on shore, and I, with 
Captain Goodrich, from Swantown, in Vermont, were put into the only 
bunk in a log house, chunked, but not plastered ; here we lay talking 
until about midnight, when I, for the first time, from the night of the 
24th, got into a sleep, and about two o’clock awoke, when I found the 
captain dead , and lying close against me. We had both been wounded 
in the right side, and, consequently, were laid in the bunk on our left 
side, and in this position I had to lay until sunrise, for although the 
house, a small one, was full of wounded, not one was able to take me 
out of the bunk, nor the dead man* from me. We were then taken to 
Buffalo, thence to Williamsville hospital, where 1 remained about three 
weeks, and until I was able to walk. I then returned to my company 
in Fort Erie, in which our army was besieged, where I remained to the 
end of the siege, being upwards of twenty-five days, out of fifty-three, 
the time which the siege lasted ; and during the whole time of which 
not any man was, for one moment, safe from shot or shell, nor did a day 
pass without a death or wound, and sometimes more than one of each. 
After the siege was over, we returned to Sackett’s Harbor, after a most 
fatiguing march through mud and cold rains. At Sackett’s Harbor we 
had very indifferent barracks to quarter in, and they were the first we 
had seen after leaving Burlington in the previous month of April. The 
army remained at Sackett’s Harbor until peace was made, and the 
army reduced to ten thousand, as a peace establishment, in which I 
was retained, (and served until the army was, in 1821, reduced to six 
thousand, at which time it fell to my lot to be disbanded.) Thus I 
spent upwards of two years of the prime of life on the cold lines of Up¬ 
per and Lower Canada, while many, very many, stout, healthy men 
sickened and died from fatigue and exposure, for we frequently had to 
march through mud, slush, snow and ice, sleeping on wet ground, with 
wet clothes, in wet tents, while our food was of the worst kind, not fit 
for convicts, nor as good as they get. And last, though not least, by 
my being in the army from March, 1812, to June, 1821, my pecuniary 
business became so much deranged, that I lost all my property, fully 
worth ten thousand dollars , which I fell heir to while in the service of my 
country! Will any gift of land or pension, now asked of Congress, 
anything like remunerate me for this loss ? No, never ! 

W. FOULK. 


Washington, January 13, 1855. 

Mr Dear Sir: The feelings which prompted the publication of the 
accompanying article—a desire to do justice, in a feeble way, to the 
names and memory of the prominent actors in important events con¬ 
nected with the war of 1812 on the northern frontier—induces me to 





57 


THE SOLDIERS OF. THE WAR OF 1812. 


ask the favor of having this article incorporated in the proceedings of 
the convention of the veterans of the war of 1812, about to be pub¬ 
lished, as I understand, under your supervision. 

W ith great respect, I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 


ST. JOHN B. L. SKINNER. 

Hon. Joel B. Sutherland, 

President Convention of Veterans of War of 1812. 


[From the Washington Union, of January 12, 1855.] 

BATTLE OF PLATTSBURGH. 

Mr. Editor: In the account given in your paper of this morning 
(and, I believe, in all the other papers) of the proceedings and doings 
of the convention of the veterans of the war of 1812, held in this city 
on the 8th instant, I observe, with regret, the entire omission of all 
allusion to one of the interesting events of that war on the northern 
frontier. While the battles of Chippewa, Niagara, Lundy’s Lane, and 
New Orleans are mentioned in appropriate terms, the “battle of Platts¬ 
burgh,” and other incidents which transpired on that frontier, are wholly 
overlooked. This should not have been so on an occasion like this, 
and I am willing to believe that it occurred from inadvertence rather 
than design, and therefore ask the use of your extensively read paper 
to give publicity to some remarks in regard to a few incidents connected 
therewith. 

The first stand of British colors which fell into the hands of the 
American troops, after the declaration of war, was at St. Regis, on the 
capture of a block-house at that place by a party of New York militia, 
of which the “Troy Rifle Greens” formed a part. Attached to this 
corps was a young man who had then lately emigrated from Massa¬ 
chusetts to Troy, and established hin^self in the profession of the law. 
Fired with the zeal and patriotism which glowed in the hearts of all 
true young Americans, he wended hfs way to the frontier as a non¬ 
commissioned officer, was an active participator in the capture of’ the 
block-house with its garrison, and by his hands were the English colors 
hauled down. They were sent to the War Department as a trophy, 
where I had the pleasure of seeing them not many years since. After 
the expiration of his term of service he returned to his home, and sub¬ 
sequently filled the offices of recorder of the city of Troy, adjutant 
general, comptroller, justice of the Supreme Court, and governor of the 
State of New York; has been a senator of the United States, Secre¬ 
tary of War, and is now Secretary of State of the United States. I 
need not write the name of William L. Marcy to indicate the patriotic 
individual to whom I allude. 

The campaigns of 1812 and ’13 on the northern frontier were inglo¬ 
rious, and spread a gloom over the hearts of all patriots; but when 
preparations were making for that of 1814 hope revived, as it was 
believed that before the setting in of winter Montreal would be occu • 
pied by the American troops, and that ail supplies would thereby be 
cut off’, and the entire upper province of Canada virtually conquered. 
A large body of troops were assembled, during the summer, at Platts¬ 
burgh and Burlington, under the command of General Izard, and in the 


58 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


month of July advanced northwardly, and occupied a position near the 
Canada line—the advance brigade under General Smyth, and the ex¬ 
treme advance guard under the gallant Colonel Forsyth, who fell in 
one of the numerous skirmishes in which he was frequently engaged. 

In the latter part of August, much to the surprise and chagrin of 
every one, the main army of the north, under General Izard, took up 
its line of march for the Niagara frontier, leaving the whole northern 
frontier, and the unfinished works at Plattsburgh, to the mercy of a 
large force, which had been concentrating between the St Lawrence 
and Lake Champlain, during the summer, under Sir George Provost, 
governor-general of Canada. 

General Macomb was in command of the few sick and disabled 
troops left behind, and, after collecting his scattered forces, found him¬ 
self sustained by about 1,500 effective men, and set himself vigorously 
to work in completing and strengthening the works at Plattsburg. The 
forts, redoubts, block-houses, &c., were planned and erected under the 
immediate supervision of the accomplished and talented Major (now 
general) Totten; and, as the result proved, a more competent and 
energetic officer could not have been selected for this service. 

On the 31st of August the advance guard of the British army, under 
the command of General Brisbane, crossed the line and occupied the 
village of Champlain, which was soon followed by the main body, con¬ 
sisting in all of 14,000 of Wellington’s veteran troops, and moved on 
by easy marches towards Plattsburgh without opposition until the 
morning of the 6th of September, when their advance was slightly 
checked at Culver’s Hill, on the Beekmantown road, six miles north 
of the forts, by 250 regulars, commanded by Major (now general) 
Wool, and 700 militia, the whole under the command of Major Gen¬ 
eral Mooers, of the New York militia. From this point to the river 
Saranac the ground was nobly contested ; and, although this small 
force was opposed by 2,000 of the flower of the British army, yet so 
firm and steady was their resistance that the time occupied in retracing 
our steps over this six miles was from about daylight in the morning 
until 11 o’clock before retiring across the Saranac, which divides a por¬ 
tion of the village of Plattsburgh from the forts. 

From this time until the 11th the British were engaged in bringing 
up their battering train and in making arrangements for attacking the 
works, during which time there was almost a constant skirmishing 
kept up by the light troops of both armies. On the morning of the 11th, 
at the time the battle commenced on the lake between the American 
fleet, under Commodore McDonough, and that of the enemy, under 
Commodore Downey, Sir George Provost threw across the Saranac, 
at a point three miles above the forts, a large force with scaling lad¬ 
ders, for the purpose of storming the works on the south side, while at 
the same time he opened his batteries on the north and west, and a 
perfect shower of iron was falling in and about the works for hours. 
The fire was bravely and promptly returned, and several of the enemy’s 
batteries were silenced, or placed “ hors de combat ,” in a short time, 
while the troops thrown across the river were met by the militia under 
General Mooers, and the Vermont volunteers, under General Strong, 
who maintained a spirited contest for several hours, retiring before 


THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812 . 5 $ 

superior numbers in a direction to draw the enemy from the forts. Im¬ 
mediately after the surrender of the Britsh fleet the troops were re¬ 
called from the south side of the river, and before morning the whole 
British army was making a hasty and rapid retreat towards the Canada 
line, leaving behind them their sick and wounded and much of their 
military stores. 

Thus ended the siege of Plattsburgh, the result of which shed as 
much glory on the arms of our beloved country as any other occurrence 
during the war, and had a greater influence in bringing about the treaty 
of peace than any similar occurrence preceding it. 

It is a matter of history that all propositions emanating from our 
commissioners at Ghent were met by counter propositions and condi¬ 
tions from the English commissioners, coupled with a “sine qua non ” 
which could not be, and were not acceded to until after the news of 
the defeat of Sir George Provost at Plattsburgh reached them, when 
they very readily saw good reason for signing the treaty proposed by 
the American commissioners without a “sine qua. non.” 

Although the battle of New Orleans closed the war in a “ blaze of 
glory,” the battle of Plattsburgh produced the peace, and the names of 
Macomb, Mooers, and Strong, with that of McDonough, will never 
cease to be honored while Americans remember the gallant deeds of 
the heroes of the war of 1812. 

Being a “ modest man” I forbear mentioning the services rendered 
by the corps of boys of which I was a member, although some account 
of it may be found in a resolution of Congress, approved May 20, 
1826, authorizing the President to present its members each with a 
rifle “ for their gallantry at the siege of Plattsburgh in September, 
1814and it was this feeling which induced me to keep silence in the 
convention on the evening of the 8th instant while so many were dis¬ 
coursing of the varied topics of the war much more eloquently than I 
could have done. Having failed to do so there, I can do nothing less, 
and feel that I should be recreant to my duty if I did not ask a small 
space in your paper to do justice to the services and memory of the 
brave men who were the prominent actors in this glorious achieve¬ 
ment. 

ST. JOHN B. L. SKINNER. 

January 9, 1855. 


Washington, January 6, 1854. 

My Dear General: As you are actively connected with the meet¬ 
ing of my brother officers and soldiers of the war of 1812-15, about 
to be held, and to which 1 have been honored by an invitation, I beg 
the favor of you to respond in my name to any inquiries relative to my 
attendance. 

Please say that, while my warmest sympathies are interested in the 
welfare of my old fellow soldiers, I doubt if it be proper for me, while 
still holding a commission, and honored by high command, in the ser¬ 
vice, to connect myself formally with any petition to the government 



60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

for other remuneration of service in the past than that which I now 
enjoy. 

I am, with great esteem, yours truly, 

WINFIELD SCOTT. 

General Leslie Coombs, &c., &c. 


Sir: A soldier of the war of 1812-’14, unable to meet in convention 
his brother soldiers, but impelled by the lively interest he feels in the 
cause, adopts this, his only mode of raising his voice in favor of pro¬ 
moting the objects of the convention. 

With a full treasury and millions of public domain, Congress should 
be pressed to appropriate liberally from both treasury and public lands 
in compensation for services rendered our common country in the war 
of 1812-14. 


With sentiments of high respect, I remain your most obedient and 
humble servant, 


JAMES CRAIN, 


Lieutenant 3 Qth United States regiment. 

To the President of the National Convention of the surviving officers and 
soldiers of the war of 1812-’14. 


Washington, January 8, 1855. 

Str: In obedience to the request of one of my constituents, a native 
of Great Britain, and a naturalized citizen of the United Stales , I send 
his letter addressed to the president of the convention over which you 
have the honor to preside. The country had no braver or more faithful 
sailor in its naval service, during the war of 1812, than Mr. Cripps. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

E. W. FARLEY. 

Hon. Joel B. Sutherland, 

President of the convention of surviving soldiers of the war of 1812. 


Newcastle, Maine, December 30, 1854. 

Sir: Learning of a convention to be held at Washington, on the 8th 
of January next, of officers, seamen, and soldiers, who served in the 
late war with England, with an intention to apply to Congress for pen¬ 
sions, I desire to add my name to the list of persons in attendance. 
My health does not permit me to be personally present, and therefore, 
I write to say that it is no more than just that the sailors who fought in 
the battles of that war should be placed on the pension list. I served 
two years on board the Constitution, was in her at the taking of the 
Guerriere, the Java, the Levant, and Cyane. At the time of the 
taking of the Java, Commodore Shubrick, now at Washington, was 
third lieutenant of the Constitution, and when I joined her at Boston in 




THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812 . 


61 


the summer of 1812. From Boston we sailed to the island Ferdinand, 
where we attempted to get water, but did not get a full supply on 
account of the surf, and we went to the Brazils, where we fell in with 
the Java, about forty miles from San Salvador; fought and captured 
her after two hours’ and forty minutes’ firing at close quarters. Besides 
her ship’s company the Java had on board General Hyslop, appointed 
governor of Bombay, with his suite or staff, and the commander, offi¬ 
cers, and crew of a sloop-of-war. During the action the wheel of the 
Constitution was shot away, and we steered the ship with “ relieving 
tackles.” Two men at the lee-wheel were killed, one of whom was 
an Indian from Martha’s Vineyard. Captain (Commodore) Bainbridge 
was wounded by splinters and brass bindings shot off the banisters of 
the cabin stairway, and refused to have his wounds dressed till the 
action was over. His wound was in the thigh, and after the prisoners 
were all brought on board, he gave himself to the surgeons. In two 
days after the action the Java was blown up and burnt, when we went 
to San Salvador and landed the prisoners. On board the Java we 
found a new spare wheel which exactly fitted our ship, and which we 
took and used. At San Salvador our third lieutenant, Shubrick, now 
commodore, left us and joined the Hornet, Captain Lawrence, who 
was then blockading the “Bon Scipion.” On her way home the Hornet 
sunk the Peacock. During the action with the Java two brothers, 
Joseph Cheevers and James Cheevers, were killed. They were of 
Marblehead. Tom Webb, of Salem, killed; John Clemens, of Salem, 
lost a leg; Philip Bremeken, of Marblehead, lost his arm, and our 
chief master’s mate, Mr. Waldo, of Salem, lost his leg from a wound 
received in the main-top. Mr. Ellwell, our fifth lieutenant, was wounded 
in the shoulder, and died coming home. The names of others killed 
and wounded I cannot now call to mind. Of the other engagements 
of the Constitution I have now nothing to say, except that they were 
well fought and I was not wounded. I do not know any one now at 
Washington who was with us in them. 

I am of English birth, but am a naturalized citizen of the United 
States. I want to give such weight as my name, or the name of any 
other salt who served on board the Constitution, under Bainbridge, 
Hull, and Stewart, and took part in the capture of the Guerriere, the 
Java, the Levant, and the Cyane, can give to the success of L the 
purposes of the convention. 

During all the time 1 was on board I was quarter gunner, and I 
shipped as such. I am now seventy-one years old. 

r JAMES CRIPPS. 

To the President of the Convention, 

To be held at Washington on the 8th January , 1855. 


Hayesville, Ohio, January I, 1855. 

Gentlemen: I am a soldier of the war of 1812. It would have 
afforded me an unspeakable pleasure to meet with you, a time honored 
band of patriots, who in the hour of peril, when our enemy with their 
numerous fleets almost darkened our coasts, whose brutal soldiery was 



62 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 

polluting our fair soil, whose purpose was the suppression of our liber¬ 
ties, whose watchword w^as beauty and booty—but in that hour of dark¬ 
ness and danger, you on the altar of your country, like your fathers, 
swore you would be free. But that is not all. Your country asked you 
for your means for defence; you cheerfully gave it as a legacy. Your 
country called on you to leave wives, children, parents, homes, com¬ 
forts, and interests; you cheerfully made the sacrifice, and obeyed your 
country’s call. You country called on you to bare your bosoms to the 
lead and steel; you responded in your patriotism, “I will.” Your 
country called for the last sacrifice, your blood; your hearts burning 
with hallowed patriotic fire, you responded, “ My country, you shall 
have it to the last drop”—and upon every battle-field it was poured out 
like water. The great I Am, well pleased with the sacrifice, victory 
crowned your noble efforts, the enemy was driven from our shores in 
disgrace, and on every battle-field, and from every rampart, the broad 
stripes and stars were seen to float or wave in triumph; the pledge 
was redeemed, and we are free. But now I must ask the question, 
has our country remunerated the soldiers of the war of 1812, as they 
have the soldiers of the revolution, or those of Mexico? Echo answers, 
No. I must say they have been shamefully neglected. The revolu¬ 
tionary soldiers received bounty in land—none less than 160 acres— 
no matter how short their term of service, besides pensions equal to 
their pay while in service, and that for life. That was as it should be. 
The soldiers of the Mexican war, if they had been mustered into ser¬ 
vice only a day before their discharge, received also 160 acres of land, 
and a very liberal allowance made to bear their expenses to their homes 
from whatever point they might arrive at in the United States. They 
also received an extra allowance of pay after their arrival home—each 
private $25. My son, a lieutenant, received $100 extra. Gentlemen, 
we were not thus treated. I do not complain that the soldiers of other 
wars were treated well; it is all right; but why is it that there should 
be such a difference? Were we less worthy? Was the war of 1812 
less honorable? I think not. It is true that after a considerable life¬ 
time had elapsed, through the kind consideration of Congress, an act 
was passed to give us some land, after tens of thousands of our brethren 
had slept the sleep of death; and the law that gave many forty acres 
had as many pains and penalties attached to it as a Spanish inquisition. 
Now, gentlemen, would it not appear quite as patriotic in the Congress 
of the United States to mete out justice to the soldiers of 1812, or put 
them somewhat upon a par with the soldiers of other wars, as to vote 
away very many millions of acres of land to monied monopolies, ~nd 
to pass laws purposely to favor land speculators, to the great injury of 
the poor man, who wishes a spot for his permanent home ? I have 
looked, but in vain, to that consistent and noble delegation that repre¬ 
sents my native State—yes, my own Virginia. I recollect when a 
beardless boy of fourteen I volunteered in her defence, and was one of 
the 900 men that contended against almost twice our number at Crany 
island; we gallantly beat the foe, and took600 prisoners. I was badly 
wounded. Again, in a skirmish near Lynhaven bay, 1 was wounded 
again. And in the hearing of where you now sit, as a volunteer, for 
nine hours contended with a British fleet, at the White House; but 


THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812 . 


63 


that is but a little to what some noble men have done and suffered, 
probably now in your midst. But after living and waiting thirty-eight 
years, I received the small pittance of eighty acres. I hope you will 
urge your claims ; but if Congress prefers doing in land matters as they 
have hitherto done, they can do so, but I think not with our respectful 
feelings. 

With high consideration, I am, &c., 

R. DE MONT. EMERSON. 

To the President and Convention now assembled at Washington city. 


Sherman, January 3, 1854. 

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention: A brother 
soldier in our second struggle for independence, seeing a call for a con¬ 
vention of the remnant of that patriotic band to meet at Washington on 
the glorious eighth , and who cannot be present with you in council, 
takes the liberty of intruding this letter upon your notice. 

I enlisted at Norwich, Connecticut, in the year 1812, and joined 
Captain Leavefiworth’s company at Greenbush, in the 25th regiment, 
United States infantry, near Albany, New York. From thence we 
marched to Plattsburgh, and crossed the lake to Burlington, and quar¬ 
tered there that winter. 

Early in the spring, we marched to Sackett’s harbor, and from thence 
to Fort George. 

We first landed at Niagara, and made preparations and took Fort 
George. The enemy that escaped retreated to Stoney creek. We 
followed and overtook them, when a battle ensued in which we lost 
both of our generals—Chandler and Winder. We returned to Fort 
George, and thence went to Grenadier’s island, from thence moved 
down the St. Lawrence and encamped at Christler’s fields. 

There a battle ensued in which our company suffered severely. We 
had to support the artillery, with the enemy’s cannon directly in front, 
and mewed us down like grass before the scythe. One-third of our 
company in killed and wounded were left on the field. 

We then moved down to St. Regis, where I received my discharge. 

Should any of my brothers of that little remaining band be in the 
convention, who were under Captain Leavenworth, to them it would 
be needless to repeat the tale of hardships, toil, and privations through 
which we passed; nor need I repeat the story at all, as you all had 
yaw si are, if on other fields, of suffering. 

I was left with a broken constitution, and my health has been feeble 
through life, and now, at the age of sixty-two years, am in quite feeble 
health and with scanty means. My bounty land did not do me much 
good; and I trust your deliberations may be wisely conducted, and 
aid in inducing our general government, through their representatives 
in Congress, even at this the eleventh hour, rewarding—rewarding did 
I say ; no, doing simple justice to those who fought their country’s 
battles and crippled the haughty English lion. And while in wisdom 
you are guided in your deliberations, may the All-wise ruler of the 
universe open the hearts of our w'ise and benevolent legislators that 



64 


PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION OF 


they may do to us as they would wish to do for themselves under like 
circumstances. We should petition in concert. 

Respectfully yours, 

LAWRENCE MELONEY. 

To the President of the Convention of Soldiers of 1812. 


Washington, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1855. 

Sir : I had hoped to be present in “ the convention of old soldiers,” 
over which you preside, but circumstances which I could not control 
have denied me that pleasure. 

Will you permit me to express, in writing, my cordial sympathy in 
your views and wishes, and the earnest hope I entertain that the actual 
presence of so many of the survivors of the war of 1812—“ the second 
war of independence ”—will awaken in Congress a sense ofjustice that 
has too long slept, and compel attention to our just claims upon the 
gratitude of our country ! 

I am with you in spirit, if not in the body, and with my best wishes 
for success in your present laudable effort to obtain the justice so long 
delayed, 

lam, with great respect, your friend and fellow soldier, 

JAMES M’DERMOTT, 

Of the Pennsylvania militia , Colonel Fenton's regiment. 
To the President of the Convention of Old Soldiers, 

Noiv in session at Washington , D- C. 


New Castle, Lawrence Co., Penn., January 4, 1855. 

Mr. Chairman : I feel it my duty, as I have not an opportunity of 
being present at your convention, to suggest (if it h as not been suggest¬ 
ed by others acting with } T ou) that in view of the advanced age of 
most of the survivors of the war of 1812, and the injury they have re¬ 
ceived who are on the pension rolls, Congress be petitioned to increase 
the monthly allowance of all such as receive less than ten dollars a 
month to that sum, and thereby soften the rigor of broken constitutions 
and impaired health in the decline of life. I deem this simple sug¬ 
gestion will be all that is needed to induce the convention to take order 
on a subject of so much interest to many. 

Respectfully, yours, &c., 

JOSEPH KETLER, 

A soldier in the regular service during the whole wor. 


Thomaston, January 1 , 1855. 

Gentlemen : Having learned recently, that a convention of the 
survivors of the soldiers of the war of ]812 and ’14, so called, was to be 
held at the city of Washington, D. C., on the 8th instant, as one of the 





THE SOLDIERS OP THE WAR OF 1812 . 


65 


survivors of that holy war, which gave us a rank among the nations 
of the earth, it would afford me the highest gratification to meet with 
you on that joyful occasion, but age and distance are the only obstacles 
which prevent me from participating with you in said convention. 

I hope peace and harmony will reign within its borders, and the 
meeting will be highly honorable and beneficial to yourselves, and to 
us all. 

I am, gentlemen, with the most profound respect, your friend and 
fellow citizen, 

LIEBBIUS COLLAMORE, 

Sergeant 33d regt. U. S. Infantry . 

• ISAAC LEANE, Colonel 


Houlton, Maine, December 28, 1854. 

Gentlemen Soldiers of the war of 1812: I take my pen in 
hand to inform you that I shall not be with you on Monday, the 8th of 
January next. I did intend to have been there, but disappointments 
met me, and I shall have to stay from the convention altogether. If I 
could have gone, I might have seen some of my old comrades that was 
out with me on the 6th of September, 1814, on the Beekmantown road, 
under Major Wool, then, but Major General, now. There were 400 of 
us that went out to destroy the bridges, and quarrel with the British 
army of 7,000 strong. We riddled two bridges before we came to the 
village bridge. There we had to contend with a share of both armies, 
14,000, and lost twenty-four men in destroying that bridge; but the 
most of us arrived at our forts, under the most tremendous fire from the 
windows of houses in the village. There was one of my comrades, 
belonging to the 33d regiment, who had a ball put through his right 
wrist, close to my left, but kept his place until we came to the village 
bridge, and then left us to take care of ourselves. His name is Joseph 
Trumbull, and is now at Bangor, Maine, and is entitled to a pension if 
any person ever was. It has been a troublesome wrist to him ever 
since. I was wounded myself in helping to build Fort Brown, on the 
east bank of the Saranac river, on or about the 28th or 29th of August. 
I was helping a party of men in the ditch to roll a large pine log up 
against the foot of the pickets; by so doing, I ruptured myself in the 
right groin, which I never could get healed since, which has been a 
trouble to me this forty years. I was advised, soon after I got home, 
to make application for a pension, but I told them that our country was 
so deep in debt that I should not do any such thing as long as I could 
get a living on my own hook. I had a father and brother in the army 
with me. My brother was at Plattsburg. Father remained at Port¬ 
land, Maine, and is still living within two miles of me, and is 87 years 
old next July the 14th. There is a man here by the name of Zelotes 
Haskell, who was out in 1813, a year man. So there are three of us 
here, within two miles of each other. If there should be any at the 
convention who were out on the Beekmantown road on the 6th of Sep¬ 
tember, 1814, I wish them much joy for living so long, and to see and 
hear the news of the Russian bear’s exploits with the allied powers 
Mis. Doc. 18-5 





66 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION, ETC. 

army. If we should live to see the end of the eastern war, we shall be 
some number of years older than we now are. 

May providence smile upon us all, especially those that have taken 
the trouble to meet at the convention. I am in hopes that you will all 
have a pleasant time while at the city, and for a long time after you 
return home. 

Yours, in haste, 

ANDREW PAUL JONES. 

To the members of a convention to be holden at the city of Wash¬ 
ington, on the 8th day of January, 1855. 












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